Organized Lightning
by helebette
Summary: Post-Season 1 Finale. Regina and Emma both have their demons to outrun.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1.**

Emma Swan sipped her drink and watched Regina Mills order another drink of her own. Regina wore a tight, red dress. It was uncharacteristically tacky but still sexy.

The fictitious Mayor of the fictitious town of Storybrooke was nursing a gin martini—dry, shaken very, very well and lightly dirty. The tight leather dress she wore, revealed nothing of the 28 years she had just spent pretending to be a conservative political leader. Instead, Regina looked like a woman who was out for a good time and didn't mind showing off her intentions.

Emma Swan watched from a short distance away, as Regina Mills flirted shamelessly with a woman whose bleached blonde hair and red lipstick nearly obscured her natural beauty. Emma tucked herself into the small table and sipped her Jameson. Regina was far enough away, the club was dark, and the music was loud. Emma assumed herself to be safe from detection.

Regina was in Philadelphia because she was too scared to venture further, and because Boston would have been too obvious.

Emma watched Regina mouth the words, "my place" and lean her head to the side. Emma gaped. A woman. Regina was taking home a woman.

"Well then." Emma muttered to herself. The wave of disappointment that overtook her was shocking. What did she expect? Had Regina ever actually discussed sexual orientation with _anybody _in Storybrooke, much less with Emma? Emma tried to remember why the hell she was there in the first place—to keep tabs on Regina while Snow White decided what to do about the Evil Queen's continued presence in the world.

For her part, Regina was bored with _not _being caught by the idiot 'bounty hunter' who was supposed to be following her. Regina tried not to look at the corner of the club, where Emma Swan did a poor job of hiding herself from view.

Regina Mills told the woman who wanted to take her home that night, that she was actually a former representative in Congress. When the lawyer named Enid, or Elizabeth or something along those lines, scoffed and said that she didn't recognize Regina, Regina shrugged and feigned continued interest in the most boring conversation she had ever had.

"My place." Regina finally said. She wanted to take this woman home and fuck her quickly, before boredom destroyed whatever was left of her strangely overactive libido. The woman reminded her of Maleficent.

Regina just wanted to go home; she almost reconsidered the whole sex thing.

'Enid' and Regina went to Regina's loft. Regina's home was all whitewashed brick and white painted wooden floors. The place nearly empty, with new appliances that Regina seldom utilized and, of course, a bed on the upper level.

The sex wasn't bad. Regina undressed only partially, and then spent much of the following hour avoiding being touched while taking pleasure through giving it. The woman insisted on exchanging numbers before she left, so Regina gave over her old cell phone number. In return, Regina received a number written on a scrap of paper. Regina used the paper for kindling and made a fire with magic.

Regina wrapped herself in a sheet and stared at the flames. She wondered how far magic had gone and who had realized its arrival in this land. Her interest in the subject was not great enough to warrant further enquiry. Not yet, anyway.

Across town, Emma returned to her hotel room in a terrible state. She was drunk and stupidly grumpy. Her own attempts at picking someone up in the same club where Regina had obviously scored, ended in an awkward make-out session with a long haired, lanky musician named Chuck. Emma found herself pushing his face away from hers.

The next morning began as all mornings began for Emma. She stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling for half an hour, and planned her day.

Regina was utterly anonymous and utterly alone in her self-imposed prison. It was fitting. More than fitting, it was ironic. Having run away from Storybrooke and from the anticipated collective fury of the people there, Regina had run right into her own entrapment. Now, all Emma had to do, was to wait.

While she showered, Emma wondered—not for the first time—if Regina was relieved to be finished with the whole Curse business. It sounded like an exhausting venture. Keeping tabs on _every _single person in Storybrooke; forging documents to maintain the office of Mayor; organizing food shipments. Come to think of it, Emma had no idea how Storybrooke had ever actually operated.

So far, Emma knew very little about Regina or her plans. Emma did know that Regina had siphoned the $3million she was currently living off of, from various town funding sources over a 28 year period. Emma was less angry about any of that than she would have been before finding out that the Curse was actually real.

Just as Emma found her way to the first coffee shop of the day, Regina woke up alone, as always, in her self-imposed prison. Her sheets were cool and white. Her floor and sparse furniture were all white. It was an uncomplicated world she lived in now. She cleaned and cooked and organized things just in case…

…just in case she ever had somebody to make a world _for_.

This home of sorts now held all of Regina's loneliness and guilt and kept it all from tumbling away from her.

The woman from the night before had reminded Regina of Maleficent, but not enough to ask her to stay.

Maleficent.

Regina's oldest and perhaps only friend, who had suffered for Regina's ambitions until her dying breath, lingered in Regina's dreams.

Though it was Maleficent who haunted Regina the most, Regina's footsteps on the Philadelphia sidewalks were shadowed by the names and faces of all of her dead. They were _her_ dead, because she had sacrificed for the Curse and for her own happy ending.

Regina remembered her first time with a woman. Regina had been distraught over her husband's continued advancements. She had not wanted to marry this man and certainly did not want to warm his bed. On this night, her body had hummed with the injustice of it all. She had wanted to take control of her life again and so when her only friend arrived to converse at the wood's edge, Regina had pounced.

Never one to miss an opportunity for such debauchery, Maleficent had allowed Regina to do whatever she wanted.

The event had not repeated itself and Regina had filed it away, obscured behind her feelings (remembered or otherwise, she was no long sure) for Daniel and her ambitions for power.

It didn't matter anyway, or so Regina thought at the time.

Somehow though, Maleficent's death brought the memory to the surface. Regina's loneliness began to mix with unfamiliar guilt, until quite suddenly, Regina wanted nothing more than the company of another warm body.

After that, there were a string of women who reminded Regina of Maleficent. Regina usually invited them home, only to urge them out of her bed shortly after.

Then, Regina scared herself by taking home some graduate student who looked just like Emma Swan. After that, Regina had taken a break from the debauchery of nightlife. She stayed in and read books for weeks until her equilibrium returned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

Emma wandered the city avoiding the task at hand. She could find Regina's apartment, if she tried harder, but the possibility created searing anxiety. She took her time, strolled through the city, ate her lunch on a park bench and generally wasted her time in aimless thought.

Emma found herself wondering, again and again, about the purpose of this trip.

The residents of Storybrooke wanted Snow White and James Charming to combine forces with their daughter—the town's Sheriff—to find Regina Mills and kill her.

No arrest, no trial, just a quick sentence of death.

At the edge of their fury and their machinations was, as always, Rumpelstiltskin. He had gone even madder with power and used magic at every opportunity. Many of the spells he cast were focused on the creation of angry thoughts and vengeful acts. The infection that had spread through Storybrooke was rooted in revenge. Emma could only hope that Regina's own disposition had somehow improved.

Emma reached into her coat pocket and snagged Regina's cell phone. The phone had been abandoned when the Mayor left town. Emma kept the phone fully charged, just in case.

In case someone called it.

Like just then…

Emma thumbed the talk button and said, rather loudly, "Regina?" She couldn't believe it. If it was Regina, how would she have thought to call her own phone? Brilliant, really, what a brilliant woman…

It was not Regina though. A woman's voice responded after a full ten seconds of silence.

"Oh my _god_! Please do _not _tell me that you're her wife?"

Emma burst into surprised laughter. Then she squirmed. Wife.

"Yeah, ummm…" Emma fiddled with the edge of her blue leather jacket. She fidgeted and thought over at least the quickest of plans. "We're separated. Who might _this _be by the way?" Emma did her best to channel the suspicious partner vibe. She convinced the now contrite woman on the other line to meet her within the hour.

In the meantime, Regina rented a car with tinted windows for the week, after circling the block in her own car and spotting Emma on a random park bench. Emma was chattering into a cell phone, laughing about something. Regina wondered—was that Henry on the phone? Or perhaps it was Snow? Or, maybe, a lover? Did Emma have somebody back in Storybrooke, waiting for her? Regina frowned.

She spent the rest of the day following Emma around. Regina enjoyed the irony of stalking Emma while Emma was supposed to be trailing after her.

Emma really did eat the worst foods, Regina decided. Pizza was followed by beer followed by some kind of greasy bar food. Regina tapped her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel. She watched Emma for well over an hour.

"Oh shit!" Regina cursed aloud as Enid—or whoever she was—strolled casually toward Emma. "How in the hell…" Regina muttered to herself, starting her car. The two women were definitely talking.

The one-night-stand whose name Regina never did bother to remember, was only too happy to bad mouth Regina to Emma. Regina started the car and peeled away before she could bother to worry about what these two were saying about her.

In the meantime, Emma was doing her best to act the part of the sad and confused estranged wife.

"She told me, at first, that she was a lawyer." Eunice said, angrily stubbing out a cigarette. That was her name—Eunice. "Then she said that she was a former Congresswoman. She laughed when I told her that I didn't recognize her. She said that she had been fired for misconduct and misappropriation of funds. Something about buying a playground structure with State tax dollars…"

Emma had to hide her laughter behind fake coughing. "That's Regina, all right," she choked out. She had to end their conversation quickly and faked a crying jag to accomplish the task. Eunice stared at her, utterly confused by the strange show of obviously insincere emotion.

"Cut your losses." Emma snickered to herself as she walked away. A piece of paper with Regina's address was in her pocket, she had what she needed, and she wondered about taking her own advice.

Emma wanted to take some time to think about their situation before actually confronting Regina. She needed a run, so after returning to her hotel room for the night, she donned her workout clothes and hit the concrete. Emma knew that she was just procrastinating. Avoiding Regina, despite her assignment, seemed like a much better idea than actually speaking to the woman.

Despite the exercise and a light dinner afterward, Emma didn't sleep very much that night. She couldn't help but to ask herself: had she really forgiven Regina? Emma preferred to wander off in her mind before actually confronting her feelings. She had suspected, at times, that Regina was borderline psychopathic which, really—she wasn't qualified to make the assessment. Something else then. A broken soul; a woman lost in her grieving. Emma tried to conjure anger.

Emma tossed and turned, staring at the light that bled into her room around inadequate curtains. She flipped onto her back and looked at the ceiling. Sleep crept up on her, once or twice. Each time, she dreamt that Regina was shouting at her.

By morning, Emma was seriously contemplating leaving town. She had been in Philadelphia for a week.

Emma threw on the same outfit she had once met Regina with for the very first time, when returning Henry, and made her way slowly to the address Eunice had given her. It was 5am. Way too early for Regina to anticipate discovery.

Someone had already beaten Emma to the punch, however.

Emma heard voices as soon as she arrived and pressed her ear to the door. A male voice, angry, loud, and Regina's voice, equally angry, echoed in the hallway. The door was heavy, but the deadbolt could easily be picked. Emma needn't have worried. Whoever entered Regina's apartment had not given her enough time to lock up.

Emma heard a strange, strangled cry from Regina, then the telltale 'thump' of a body hitting the ground. Everything happened in slow motion, but also incredibly quickly. Emma threw herself against the door and hit whoever was on the other side of it.

It was Jefferson. The Mad Hatter, whatever he was. Emma drew her gun on him as he smiled and gestured theatrically down to where Regina lay bleeding and unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews for the first two chapters! **

**This chapter should answer some questions about Regina and Jefferson.**

**On with the show!**

**Chapter 3.**

Regina heard the sound of a gunshot and though she was slipping away, she wondered if it might be Emma. Perhaps Emma planned all of this, to make herself out a hero. Emma, hero of the fucking day, here to save _Regina_. Regina smiled to herself as she slid into oblivion.

A day later, Regina woke up from surgery to see Emma in a chair at the foot of her hospital bed, and she knew that Emma had not planned any of this. Emma looked exhausted and worried.

They stared at one another in silence for a long time.

The sounds of traffic outside and chattering nurses in the hallway filled the quiet between them.

"Well?" Regina sat up, hissing in pain as she felt her stitches stretch with the movement. She noted the drip attached to her hand and wondered which one was a painkiller.

"I killed the Mad Hatter." Emma stated blandly. "How's that for a title to my tell-all?" She wore her usual t-shirt, tight jean, leather boot ensemble. Regina made a note of the band on the shirt—Sonic Youth. Was Emma 15? Regina smirked.

"More interesting than anything most people could come up with." Regina said, still smirking. Then she realized it: Jefferson was dead. For all of his fucked up behavior, Jefferson was an old friend. She had wondered if he could truly be killed. Now she knew. First Maleficent and now the Mad Hatter. Emma really was on a roll.

"How is everyone?" Regina changed the subject. "Is Henry all right? Where are you both staying?" A low throb of worry that had hidden beneath her ribcage suddenly gave way to full throttle anxiety as Regina finally allowed herself to think about Henry. She had been numb for so long, but the sight of Emma Swan awakened all of her worry and anger and total frustration. Regina had to will herself to stay still.

Emma grimaced and replied, "Henry is fine. Snow, James, and I are keeping him safe. We're sort of hiding in plain sight. Storybrooke is even weirder without you, strangely enough."

Regina slumped back against her pillow in sheer relief. "You don't prefer the new leadership?" She quipped.

"Of course I don't prefer being ruled by Rumpelstiltskin." Emma met Regina's sarcasm with some of her own.

"How very special. You miss me." Regina rolled her eyes and shifted on the bed with a grimace. "How long have I been out?" Jolting pain convinced her to quit moving about. She waited.

Emma hesitated.

Her hair, Regina noted, was slightly darker than it had been in Storybrooke. Perhaps blonde wasn't Emma's natural color after all. Regina made a note to ask sometime.

"A day, day and a half." Emma interrupted Regina's thoughts. "Ummmm…anyway…I should probably tell somebody that you're awake." She got up to leave and then turned back to Regina with a smirk. "By the way, they don't allow same-sex marriage here. Did you already know that?"

Regina's mouth fell open.

Every day that Regina spent in the hospital, she was forced to be in Emma's company. Emma's routine was to grab breakfast in the morning for herself and then visit Regina after Regina's morning nap. Then Emma took off for lunch and made some phone calls. They usually watched television in the evening. It was all incredibly mundane for two people who usually spent their time fighting. Regina still kept shooting Emma suspicious glances while they watched The Simpsons.

Emma phoned Snow from her hotel room every day, and updated her on Regina's progress. Snow was actually compassionate toward her nemesis. Emma figured that it just wasn't in Snow's nature to be completely vengeful. Besides that, they both shared mutual animosity toward the so-called Mad Hatter. Snow seemed particularly upset at the level and nature of his violent act.

"So?" Emma frowned and held the phone close to her mouth. "Do I catch her, bring her to all of you, hang her in the town square?" Emma rubbed a hand over her stomach, fighting the nerves that hit her there.

Snow muttered something to someone in the background. Then Emma could hear Henry's voice, asking about lunch. "Not my thing, Emma, really." Snow replied at last."And your idea of a trial…I just don't see the point. Continue to wait with Regina. Help her through her recovery. Let me sort through whatever is happening here."

Emma sat around her hotel room at night, stewing over her daily encounters with Regina. Emma remembered the words Regina used to trick her again and again. She wondered _why _Regina had always done so damned much to destroy her own cause.

Then every time Emma saw Regina again, her anger dissipated. Emma saw Regina in her robe, without makeup, without any of her defenses, and remembered the time Regina practically roared with anger over Rumpelstiltskin's betrayal and the danger it had put Henry in.

"You're staring at me." Regina accused Emma, but her voice was without malice.

Emma and Regina finally talked about Jefferson's attack the day before Regina was set to go home. Emma could tell, all through their lunch, that Regina was nervous.

"He's gone." Emma reminded her. It was raining and Emma wore her brown leather jacket. She felt a chill run up her spine despite the warm temperatures.

"You shot him." Regina grimaced around a bite of the sandwich she had been given. She handed it wordlessly to Emma instead.

"Why didn't you try to counter him somehow?" Emma asked, glancing at the ham and cheese and rye bread. She took a big bite. Regina looked really weirdly at her as a result.

Regina cleared her throat, seemingly mesmerized at the sight of Emma devouring a sandwich. She struggled to remain on topic. "I was always so used to his threats. It didn't occur to me that he would actually follow through with them."

Emma nodded and swiped at the crumbs on her lip. "I get that. You ignored your gut. Too many women do…" She stopped herself quickly, realizing that Regina didn't need some lecture left over from Emma's days tracking down estranged and sometimes violent exes.

Regina stared out the window in silence by way of response.

Many days later, Emma found herself helping Regina into her loft. Emma had found a cleaning service to take care of things there, and had already been back once to check that the place was livable. Regina had given Emma access to a stash of money beneath some of the floor boards, some of which paid for Regina's medical expenses.

Emma kept a hand on Regina's elbow as they walked into the place. She had never really thought about it before but now noted how comfortable it was, being in Regina's space all the time. She hoped that they wouldn't start swinging fists at one another again any time soon.

"Thank you," Regina said, glancing politely around her home as though it might still hold Jefferson's body.

Emma was still thrown by Regina's sudden change in attitude. Regina kept thanking her, and asking for things with a 'please' and calling Emma by her first name, instead of Ms. Swan.

"Emma." Regina craned her neck around to see what was holding up the dumbfounded woman. "Tell me, what are Snow's plans?"

"There isn't much to tell." Emma muttered, closing and locking the door behind her.

Emma phoned Snow later that evening. Regina was asleep in her room, while Emma lounged on the oversized reading chair in the living room. She couldn't bring herself to go back to her hotel, not on Regina's first night back.

"It's like the fight has gone all out of her." Emma whispered into the receiver. "We talk about mundane things and sometimes Henry's homework, but mostly just the scenery and the history of the city here and…not much else…"

Emma went to sleep after switching her phone off. Her neck bent at awkward angles and ached and her dreams were really weird. She dreamt about a pet cat that had once lived with one of her foster families. The cat had been hit by a car nearly a decade ago, but in Emma's dreams, the cat was alive once again. The cat could also talk and kept reminding Emma to check that the back door was closed.

At 1am, Emma woke with a start. She swiped her hands over her eyes and found them wet with tears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

Emma boots were heavy on the floor. She glanced upward to where Regina's bedroom was eerily silent. She made her way to the stairs and then up, as quietly as she could.

She didn't have to reach the top to know that Regina wasn't there any longer.

Emma had thrown on another jacket and was about to go searching, when multiple keys in multiple locks announced Regina's return.

Emma lost it. Her heart racing, she sputtered, "Where the fuck were you?" Emma wasn't sure if it was still just the out of sorts feeling from her cat dream, or if she was genuinely worried. "What if something had happened to you?" She shouted.

Regina shrugged, half drunk and having completely expected the assault. "Who cares," she said. "Besides, I feel fine." She didn't, not really. Her incision itched and ached. Regina added, just for good measure: "You should just leave. Go back to your parents. To Henry. He's yours now."

All the anger drained from Emma's body. She fell heavily back against the wall. "No, he isn't. I mean not entirely." Emma made a muffled kind of sound in the back of her throat, and then blurted out, "There are things I don't do well. Things I don't remember, like bringing snacks when we go for a walk, or what his favorite comics are, or his favorite toys. I mean I know he's too old for some of that stuff, but he takes care of so many details and I just imagine that you used to take care of those details. Before I came along." Emma swipes a hand across her forehead, looking incredibly painfully anxious. "I don't know what to do about any of this 'Gina. And I need you to just…help me out here!"

Regina's mouth fell open. She closed it again. The familiar nickname, the plea for help—once, not long ago, Regina would have taken advantage of Emma's insecurity and played it against her.

But then Emma's eyes flashed angrily toward Regina. She growled, low in her throat, and suddenly leapt to her feet. Regina found herself pinned to a wall while Emma lifted her shirt.

"It's red. And sticky-outy." Emma chastised Regina, all while cupping her waist and running one thumb gently outside of the three inch long, thin welt that she had not actually seen until this point.

"It's…been 'sticky-outy' as you call it, since it began to really heal." Regina couldn't breathe with Emma so close. She kept her eyes pinned on the far wall while long fingers continued to stroke the skin around her injury. Sensitive skin. Regina had no idea why it was so, so very sensitive.

They ended up back in the hospital, after Emma insisted that Regina's incision had to be checked. It turned out to be fine, but Regina was ordered to get more rest and cut out any alcohol while she continued with pain meds. Emma glared at Regina as the doctor lectured them both about the damage Regina might be doing to her liver by combining painkillers and alcohol.

They parted early in the morning, both grumpy and silent. Emma spent the rest of the day making up for lost sleep in her hotel room, while Regina did the same at her place. By early evening, Emma was wide awake, having napped most of he afternoon away.

Emma wandered outside to grab dinner from a street vendor and then spent the evening in.

Three lukewarm beers and an attempt at answering questions on Jeopardy, did nothing to alleviate her boredom.

Being alone always provided Emma with an odd sense of security mixed with loneliness. She knew that she liked being alone way too much to be totally considered healthy. Her stupid cat dream wouldn't leave her alone either. Something was telling her to get with it.

Emma caved in at around midnight and called Regina.

"Just checking in." Emma mumbled. Regina's reply was predictably short. She was, apparently, already in bed. Emma rolled her eyes at herself. "Sorry," She added. "I'll phone again at an appropriate hour." She tried to focus on a fly that had landed outside her window, but her eyes crossed. She would have to take a cab to Regina's. If she was invited, that is…

"No." Regina said on the other end of the line. "Don't hang…just…What did you want exactly?"

Emma scowled. "I wanted to see that you were safe. I mean what if somebody followed Jefferson, followed me…followed Jefferson _following _me." Though Emma was completely certain, she did suspect that the so-called Hatter had actually managed to tail her on her way from Storybrooke. It was a sobering thought.

"Oh for…" Regina could be heard swearing on the other end, dimly, as though she had had to pull the phone away from her mouth suddenly. "I'm fine. Just come over if you're so damned worried." Something in her tone was off, though.

Emma wondered if Regina really would feel better with some kind of company. A bodyguard perhaps. Or, a bounty hunter. Emma the Bounty Hunter. Like Dog, only with better hair. Emma chuckled at her own joke. She had made that one before. It was a definite repeat…

In response to her laughter, Regina hung up on her.

Emma was quick to call a cab, and even quicker to pack her bags. She checked out on her way, handing the room keys over to the chipper woman on the nightshift.

As soon as Emma knocked on Regina's door, fatigue finally replaced boredom. Regina strode back up to her bedroom the moment she unlocked the door. Emma found her way to her sleeping area of the previous night, and clicked on the reading lamp.

Emma felt almost as if she were moving on automatic pilot. She grabbed one of Regina's books and read until she fell asleep.

The next morning, Regina found Emma slumped over a copy of _One Hundred Years of Solitude. _The reading lamp was still on and Emma's neck was bent at a strange angle. Regina grimaced and shook Emma's booted foot.

Regina made coffee and toast while Emma slowly roused herself. By the time Emma's bleary eyed scowl aimed itself at Regina back, they were ready to sit down.

"So." Regina said after long minutes of utter silence. "Why are you here? I mean really? Do you even know?"

Emma shrugged and stuffed another bite of buttery toast into her mouth.

Then Regina asked, "So we know why I'm avoiding Storybrooke, but the question is: what are you avoiding?" Emma still did not have an answer for Regina when Regina asked, "Is it motherhood? Are you running away from Henry?"

"I'm keeping an eye on you." Emma grumbled, yet again. She tried to ignore the stab of fear that accompanied Regina's accusation. Truth be told, Emma did have more faith in Snow and James' abilities to protect Henry than she did in her own. When once they had fought so hard for the right to take care of Henry, now Regina and Emma were both exiled from him.

"Nonsense." Regina replied. "I'm not going anywhere. You know where I am now, so you could always send the hounds after me from a safe distance—though…" Regina stared thoughtfully at Emma. Regina sipped her coffee, wishing they had fruit or something more with it. They would have to do more groceries—she would, anyhow. Dangerous to think of Emma taking part in such a domestic act. Regina changed the subject. "What do you think about all of this—about what I originally did?"

The look on Emma's face was absolutely perplexing. She seemed angry one moment, sympathetic the next, and indifferent a second later.

"I think," Emma began. "That the so-called Curse was really just a time loop. You're all here. And so what? It isn't the worst place to be. The worst part is time lost—in my case, 28 years without my parents." Which earned Regina a scathing glance. "The rest is coincidence and maybe even…something to do with fate. I mean you couldn't really stay angry at Snow White forever, back in…uhhh…your Fairytale world. You couldn't have stayed so angry without ending at least one of your lives. To be honest, it sounds—from what James said about the time leading up to your enactment of the Curse—that your life would have been erased first."

"Does it now?" Regina stared hard at her.

"You're probably wonder why I'm not angry at you." Emma added. "I bet you think I'm too stupid to be all that angry." Emma continued, leaning forward. Her hand hovered an inch from Regina's which was clenched in a fist. "You and Snow would have destroyed each other, had you stayed in the other world. This way, you both get a second chance. To forgive each other."

The smile that formed on Regina's lips was every bit as frightening as anything Emma had ever seen.

"The Evil Queen indeed…" Emma grumbled to herself, rubbing her forehead hard. "Ridiculous, just fucking ridiculous." She got slowly to her feet and walked to the door.

Emma returned three hours later. She carried two bags of groceries from an overpriced organic store and set them carefully on the counter. Regina stared at her from the kitchen table. A blue mug of lukewarm coffee sat in front of Regina, untouched. Regina's hair was slicked back as though she had just been in the shower. She wore a pair of slacks and a wrinkled white button down shirt. Her eyes were red rimmed.

Emma spoke with her back to Regina, slowly unpacking the groceries and placing them in the fridge or freezer. "I think we're in danger of becoming depressed." She stated less than resolutely. "Both of us. And I know that I feel powerless. I can't protect Henry, I can't fix anything…" Emma took a deep, shuddering breath and blew it out again. Her hands shook as she clenched them in fists.

"There is nothing left to fight over." Regina's voice echoed in the emptiness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all, thanks again for all of the reviews! Your questions keep this story in line Cheers.**

**Chapter 5.**

"Nothing left to fight over?" Emma asked. She gave Regina a crooked, tired smile. "Well, then maybe I can relax a little. Can I use the shower?"

"Of course." Regina said, rolling her eyes. "You didn't need to ask."

The upstairs washroom had a tall, narrow walk in shower. It was surrounded by clear glass. Emma let herself relax beneath pounding hot water, before helping herself to Regina's products. Everything smelled like mint.

Emma stepped out and toweled herself off, but then realized that she hadn't chosen a new outfit. She swore quietly and edged the bathroom door open.

There on Regina's bed was her bag. Emma slumped with relief. She padded into the room and threw on the first items she found. Her clothes were going to need laundering soon, she realized, moments before also realizing that all of her dirty clothes were missing.

When she arrived downstairs, Regina silently took the outfit she had just taken off from her hands, and brought it to a small closet near the kitchen, where a stacked washer and dryer sat.

"That's so awesome. Thank you." Emma said gratefully. "Your room is nice, by the way. Very neat." She grinned.

"My room is empty. The bed is comfortable. That is about it. If you insist on staying in this city, I think we should find one equally comfortable for you." Regina spoke rapidly, turning on the laundry and closing the wooden doors over machine again.

"Here." Regina handed her an envelope that had been sitting on the table. "It's from Storybrooke, it's just as much yours as it is mine." She turned her back before Emma's jaw could hit the ground at the amount of money she had been given. "You need new clothes." Regina added.

"And you need to call Henry." Emma suddenly blurted out. "while I'm gone, I mean. You should take some time to call him…"

"He doesn't…" Regina started.

"He does, he just won't admit it. He's a kid, Regina. You can't expect him to take the first step. Call him and ask him some stupid questions about his comics. Whatever. Just…today is the day." Emma was firm enough in her tone that she impressed even herself. It was, she now knew—it was time.

Emma went out for the afternoon and found a shop that suited her tastes, right around the corner from a coffee shop. She hated clothes shopping, so one stop was all she wanted. She rewarded herself with a mocha-something-or-other that had cinnamon in it. Emma managed to find two pairs of jeans that she liked, a dressy blue long-sleeved shirt, and a new vest and tie to go with the white dress shirt that was currently being washed. Then, to balance things out, she chose a tight black dress to wear out to a nicer sort of place—like a restaurant or…

…something.

Emma blushed when she bought the thing, trying to ignore thoughts of wearing it on a date or whatever…

Just before arriving at Regina's door again, Emma felt a sudden bout of nerves. What if Henry had been angry or something on the phone? What if Regina was devastated? She knocked lightly. Regina threw open the door with a neutral expression.

"How was your afternoon?" Emma asked haltingly.

Regina smiled but said nothing more. Emma took it to mean that her chat with Henry had gone at least ok.

"Let's go out tonite." Emma decided. "To a club. I haven't done anything exciting since I came here, other than, you know, shoot the Mad Hatter."

"Must you make light of killing my friends?" Regina inquired, rather politely.

"Naw. Sorry. It's just…it seems like such a fitting metaphor for my life." Emma said.

Regina gave her an odd look. Still, she agreed to go out. Which was something.

Emma should have realized the mess she was getting herself into the moment she stepped foot in the dimly lit Italian restaurant chosen by Regina.

The ambiance, a glass of red wine on an empty stomach, and some rather odd gestures from Regina, made Emma feel weirdly high.

For one thing, Regina kept touching her hand. When she passed the bread basket (which, who were they fooling, neither would risk the carbs), or the bottle of wine, or a forkful of her stuffed mushroom appetizer, Regina's hand managed to brush Emma's wrist or fingers or palm.

After drinking some sort of expensive brandy for dessert, Emma decided that Regina was like some glowing, vibrating orb of…something. She was so sure of herself, so open with her sexual energy.

Regina had mapped out their evening, right down to the smallest detail. They were on their way to a small club where a bluegrass band was on stage for half of the evening.

In between sets, Bruce Springsteen came onto the jukebox, which seemed to amuse Regina.

Then Regina threw Emma for another loop.

When she was up getting their second round of drinks, a 20-something floppy haired hipster in a blue plaid shirt, totally hit on Regina; Regina totally let him.

"What are you doing?" Emma finally asked, when Regina sat again.

"Having fun. What are you doing?" Regina smiled enigmatically after responding.

Emma wanted to be on her own turf. She took out her phone and mapped another club altogether. Nothing intimate, nothing like a pick-up joint, just some place where they could dance.

"Let's go." Emma ignored their drinks and touched Regina's arm lightly.

Regina seemed even happier at the idea of club hopping, so she left willingly.

They cabbed to a bar Emma remembered hearing about by name only. The music was some kind of house music that Emma didn't exactly love, but put up with because she wanted to dance. Regina got their drinks.

It took Emma exactly ten minutes—a really long time, considering her surroundings—to realize that she was in a gay bar. She found herself dancing with a dark haired tattooed woman with really pretty eyes, before Regina interrupted.

"What are you doing?" It was Regina's turn to ask.

"I am enjoying myself, would you calm down?" Emma shouted, grinning as Regina got a taste of her own medicine. She reached out when Regina tried to leave and pulled her close.

"Sorry, I didn't realize!" The woman who had been hitting on Emma grinned and gestured between them before waving and leaving.

Emma laughed and kept dancing, as the music turned. Industrial pop, she guessed, glancing up to the DJ. Regina had finally decided to relax again. Emma stepped closer and found Regina's rhythm. And then they were dancing, and there was no more bullshit—no animosity, no overcharged awkward energy.

They burst out into the night air, both overheated from the dance floor, at midnight.

"This is what we were all missing in Storybrooke," Regina gasped, wiping sweat from her brow with a smile. She looked happy. It suited her.

"Can we go to the water?" Emma asked.

"Another time. We'll rent a boat." Regina stopped short. "Henry could visit? He'd like it out on the water. He's never really been anywhere else."

They cabbed it back to Regina's, not because it was horribly far, but because Regina's feet were sore.

Emma put on some classic rock she had found in vinyl and turned it low.

When Regina sauntered over to her, drink in hand, they were suddenly faced with what the end of the night might have entailed…

…had Emma ever actually _been _with a woman.

After a shy pass made by Regina, Emma made that point clear.

"What? I've never slept with a woman." Emma laughed and laughed…until she realized that Regina wasn't laughing at all.

"I'm…" Regina bit her tongue before she could apologize. Her eyes fluttered shut. She really was so tired of apologizing.

"It's ok." Emma jumped in. "I mean I've had my share of one-nighters and all, but other than dudes." She shrugged. "Nada…" Her eyes averted to her glass. She was really drunk. And Regina smelled really good. It might be nice to try…

"Omifuckinglord." Regina stepped back just as Emma lunged. Her hand pressed lightly to Emma's chest. "I will not be your first. Jesus Christ." She took a deep breath and changed her tone. "Goodnight, Ms. Swan. I will see you in the morning."

Emma's lunged again. It was lame. She had to do it though. Regina was about to go upstairs and if she did that, they'd never get this—whatever it was—out of their systems. And move on. She just wanted to move on.

Kissing Regina was slippery. And warm. And nice, when they tilted their heads properly. Regina's tongue was soft and really, really the opposite of intrusive, whatever that might be.

Emma was breathing hard when they broke apart.

Regina kept grimacing.

"This isn't the time, is it?" Emma squeaked.

Regina shook her head. "However…"

Emma raised her eyebrows.

"You should come to bed. I think—the bed is big enough for the both of us." Regina kept staring at Emma's chest. "The chair is terrible. I should have bought you something, I just didn't think about it."

"Ummm…Ok." Emma decided.

They opened the bedroom window wide, because Emma kept complaining that she was hot even though she ended up sleeping in just a t-shirt and underwear.

Regina kept to the far side of her side of the bed. They didn't touch during the night, and when Emma awoke the next morning, she found Regina's side empty.


	6. Chapter 6

They gradually fell into more and more of a domestic routine as the days went by. Snow assured Emma that they were safe, but that they had moved Henry to an even more remote location, a place where Rumpelstiltskin and everyone else threatening their family would never find them.

Regina and Emma were out on the town one day, when Emma spotted a high-end thrift store with a record player in the window and boxes of vinyl around it. "You need that." Emma decided, slipping quickly into the store.

They lugged the thing home, along with the three records Emma had decided on. Regina seemed dazed by the gift.

"It'll make this place seem more like home." Emma said decisively. She was aware of Regina's eyes on her as she moved the sparse furniture around to make room.

They sat on the floor while the first album played. Regina had opened a bottle of wine and it sat between them. Song after song went by before either woman spoke.

"Tell me about Henry's birth." Though it was a statement, Regina's voice lilted at the end, giving away her desire for their son's birth story.

"Oh." Emma couldn't believe that they hadn't talked about it yet. "If you'll tell me about the day you got him…"

Regina nodded and shifted, finding herself closer to Emma. She had chosen a short sleeved blouse and her arms were bare. When Emma moved, their skin brushed together. Regina sipped her wine and waited for the story but the added, "You can leave out the traumatic parts if you like."

Emma bit her lip. "Ummm…it hurt." She laughed. "It was hard. I was in labor for a long time—active labor for eight hours. Which isn't bad, really, by some standards. His head was really, really big, or so I thought at the time."

Regina patted Emma's knee in sympathy.

"Ummm…" Emma bit her lip, suddenly choking up. "He was…he was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen." She turned to look at Regina who was suddenly very near. "You know?" Emma whispered.

Regina nodded. "The day I brought him home, I stared at him for two solid hours. Even as I got his bottles ready and walked him around when he cried…I couldn't take my eyes off of his wrinkled little face."

Regina reached up and swiped a thumb over the tear that rolled down Emma's cheek. "I'm going to make tea…"

But before she could stand, Emma had leaned in. Regina was up on one knee, the other painfully taking all of her weight, when their lips met.

Emma pulled away first and patted Regina's arm. "Ok. Tea sounds good." She wiped her eyes and stared resolutely ahead, an enigmatic smile on her lips.

At 11pm, Emma's cell phone announced that Snow White was calling. Snow's signature ringtone was Sum 41's Fat Lip. It reminded mother and daughter that they were still in the same age group, roughly speaking, which was really bizarre and had to be emphasized from time to time.

Snow wanted to visit, simple as that. They would arrive in two days. Apparently, Henry's talk with Regina over the phone had convinced the kid that he might have some care for his mother after all.

Regina immediately went crazy with the tasks that they had been treating pretty casually. She first insisted that they go to bed immediately, since they had to be up at the crack of fucking dawn to get the place ready. Emma was seriously unimpressed to find herself sweeping the floor until 1am, while Regina cleaned the kitchen.

The next morning, Regina insisted on doing more groceries immediately and left without finishing her breakfast.

"We should get a television. Another bed." Regina called out as she crashed into the apartment with five bags of groceries held in each hand.

"Regina, calm down." Emma placed a hand on Regina's forearm, squeezing gently before taking half of the bags.

Emma took on the task of helping, not because she worried that Henry would think the place to be a mess—she knew he wouldn't give a shit—but because Regina already looked happier than Emma had ever seen her look.

While Regina went to find a wide enough couch for sleeping on as well as sitting, Emma used her phone to look up recipes. She never really cooked and she certainly had never cooked well, but she wanted to make something for their dinner. Pasta and a red sauce of some kind would work. She'd look up a Jamie Oliver recipe since she used to like his frenetic style when attempting to boil water back in Boston.

By the time Regina returned with two delivery guys in tow, Emma already had a pot of sauce simmering.

It wasn't hard for the red couch to be positioned in the room, since it was mostly empty in there, so Emma let the guys do their thing while Regina directed.

A television set was delivered next.

"Jeez Regina, how much crap does the kid need?" Emma muttered, looking through a bag of comic books that Regina had also purchased.

"He can't be expected to keep all of us company while he's here." Regina replied. She had been wearing a dark blazer all day and now took it off. Her white dress shirt was sort of flared at the cuffs and had a narrow, cinched waist. Emma liked the look, especially with the low-riding dark slacks. Regina's shoes were flat today, no heels. There was a hint of her ankle when she bent over to retrieve a piece of paper that flew from one of the comics.

Emma had never before thought that an ankle could be so erotic.

"Hmmmm?" Emma shook her head when Regina asked her something.

"I asked…did you want to eat dinner early tonite?" Regina arched one eyebrow and smirked. "Or would you rather continue to undress me with your eyes?"

"Oh, so now we're going to talk about this?" Emma fumed. "And yes, I would like an early dinner. I cooked for hours. Well, for one hour. I cooked for one hour." She glanced down at her white tank top. It had red splashes all over it.

Regina chuckled at Emma's tantrum and strode back into the kitchen. She made peace by setting the table and showing Emma how to cook the pasta first in water and then in a pan with some of the sauce. Emma stood close behind her, even while they waited for the water to boil.

"Change your shirt, dear." Regina said quietly. "I don't want you transferring those stains."

Emma dressed in one of the nicer shirts she had purchased. It was black and sleeveless and sort of wispy or something. Emma didn't know what to call it other than that. There was a gold colored band of fabric around the neckline.

"Very nice." Regina said when Emma arrived back downstairs. "The fabric is lovely." She reached out and pinched the hemline between her thumb and forefinger.

"I clean up real good." Emma joked, moving to the stove to plate their dinner.

After dinner, they tested out the couch and television. Regina had bought a whole pile of DVDs, few of which Emma thought anybody would want to watch (though she didn't say that out loud) and one of them was the old black and white version of Night of the Living Dead.

Things were fucking looking up. Emma smiled, totally contented, and slumped on the couch while Regina perched carefully next to her.

They got through only the start of the movie, with Emma saying "they're coming to get your Barbaaaaaraaaaaa" at just the right moment, before Regina got bored and moved closer.

"This is stupid. And makes no sense." Regina had her hand up on the back of the couch, her elbow bent. She played with a strand of Emma's hair, twirling it between her fingers. "Why would radiation cause the dead to eat the living, much less wander around aimlessly?"

Emma shifted closer also and rested her forearm on Regina's bent knees. She shrugged. "I don't know. You have to just believe in it. Then it's pretty creepy."

Regina's fingers moved closer, touching Emma's neck.

Emma turned her head, her nose only two inches from Regina's cheek now. She brushed her thumb over the corner of Regina's mouth, where a splash of sauce had imprinted itself.

"Hey." Emma grinned.

"Hmmmm?" Regina turned to meet her gaze. They locked eyes, now an inch apart. "Shhhh, watch the movie," Regina said, smirking in that way Emma used to think was kinda evil.

Emma laughed and brushed her nose against Regina's cheek, kissing her jaw softly. Regina's head turned immediately and their lips met.

It was, by far, the best make-out session of Emma's life, even if Regina insisted on keeping her arms firmly by her side and her hands firmly gripped to her own thighs, the whole time they kissed. Emma didn't feel so inclined and let her hands wander to touch Regina's cheeks and neck and to tangle in her hair.

Regina pulled away first and said breathlessly, "We should stop now." Her lips were moist.

Emma couldn't respond in any coherent way and said something that sounded like "nnnnngggghhhh," before pressing her lips to Regina's again, letting her tongue dart out to sooth the lower lip she had just nipped moments ago.

This time, when Regina pulled away, it was with a firmer sort of pat on Emma's thigh.

Emma breathed out heavily and slid down further on the couch. She reminded herself that she had never done this with a woman; she tried to tell herself that that fucking mattered.

For the rest of the movie, Regina stayed close. It wasn't until the closing credits, that she made her intentions clear, by taking Emma's arm and slinging it around her own shoulders.

Cuddling then. All right. Emma tried not to let Regina notice that her heart was beating hard and fast and that her thighs were trembling slightly.

Emma shifted until they were comfortable. Regina leaned her head on Emma's shoulder and said, "You should change the DVD."

Emma took the opportunity to calm herself. They weren't teenagers, and no matter how sweaty her palms got, she could wait. And wait. And wait. Until whatever this was worked itself out to the best possible conclusion.

Regina tired first, and in the state Emma was in, neither wanted to confuse the time for sleep with other things.

"I'm going to stay up and read for a bit." Emma added quickly, "Then if its ok, I'll come upstairs?"

Regina nodded, glancing at the couch. "It…I didn't get this couch meaning to imply that you should…"

"I know." Emma grinned. "and we'll work out sleeping arrangements when Henry and Snow get here. For now, I'm enjoying that awesome mattress and the view from upstairs. I'll be up in an hour or so." She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Regina's cheek, noting the slight shakiness in Regina's breathing that resulted form the casual gesture. Emma grinned even wider. This was definitely going to happen. Whatever the hell Regina's problems with being her 'first' might be.


	7. Chapter 7

"They're here…" Emma grinned.

"So they are." Regina replied, looking nervous.

They were standing by the living room window, looking out to where a rented silver Prius pulled into Regina's spot in the building's small parking lot.

Henry ran out of the car first. Moments later, Regina buzzed him in, and he could be heard thundering up the wrought iron stairs to their level.

"Hey." Henry's grin matched Emma's as he stood in the doorway.

His mothers stood and stared at him, too busy examining every minute new detail to even hug him. Emma stepped forward first though.

When Snow followed with their bags, Snow and Regina stared at one another, neither making a move, while Emma and Henry hugged. Henry turned with his back to Emma and watched with her as the two women before them struggled to contain their emotions.

"Well then. Tea?" Regina was the first to break the silence. Her voice cracked.

Henry and Regina got as busy as they could the minute the kid came in though. There wasn't time for tea, because Henry had already planned the trip and scheduled it. There were historical places to visit and Regina was apparently intended to be the tour guide for the first three hours.

"So why are you both really here?" Emma asked as soon as they had sat.

"Henry asked to come." Snow replied. "He said he needed to know some things."

"About Regina?" Emma searched her mother's face. It was good to see her. Even if the whole mother/daughter thing had come as such a surprise, Emma had missed her.

Snow nodded. "I think he wants to know why she gave you that tart. You know, light stuff like that. He's angry about it. He wants to know if she really wanted you asleep or…" Snow smiled but her eyes flashed angrily and grew wet. "…or something else."

Like a light switch going off in her head, Emma was reminded again of the anger she had felt, almost constantly, back in Storybrooke, toward Regina. "Right," she grumbled to Snow. "She has tried to kill me a couple of times now, huh?"

"Thought I'd remind you, just in case things were moving along a bit too quickly." Snow added.

Dead silence fell over them.

"What did you mean by that?" Emma forced herself to sound sarcastic or angry or…anything other than completely busted. She squirmed uncomfortably.

"It's been over a month, that you two have been hiding out here together." Snow said. She tried not to meet Emma's challenging gaze directly.

"And?" Emma asked angrily.

"And…Regina can be persuasive. Especially when she has something she wants from someone. If you forgive her, the people of Storybrooke are likely to follow suit." Snow looked saddened now. No longer angry just…really, really sad.

"That's not what…" Emma felt a thud of self-doubt hit her full force. She froze. Of course. Regina might be doing all of this to win Emma over, to get her on side in an effort to take back Storybrooke.

So why didn't Emma care? Why did she want to keep going, to see _where_ this was all going?

Emma kept her distance for the rest of the afternoon and evening, from the rest of the group. Regina and Snow seemed to be tolerating each other for some mysterious reason. Well, not mysterious. It was Henry. Henry was the only reason for keeping the peace while they ate dinner, watched some superhero action movie, and casually announced that it was time to sleep.

"I'll share the bed upstairs with Snow if that's ok? I think it's big enough, and mom, you kind of kick sometimes in your sleep." Henry gazed studiously at his comic while the adult women contemplated this arrangement.

"Of course." Regina replied. "It's just good to have you…" She gazed past Snow's head, looking really lost all of a sudden. "Snow…you as well…I mean…"

Snow shut her eyes tightly and nodded tersely.

Emma and Henry exchanged a pained look. When would these two finally blow? Neither knew.

It was close to midnight when they all decided to give it all up for another day.

Emma settled in the chair across from Regina, while Regina arranged and rearranged sheets and pillows on the couch.

"What did she say?" Regina asked Emma the question that had been burning on her mind. She would save the content of her conversation with Henry for another time. She had already thrown on a t-shirt and yoga pants. Her eyes were trained on Emma's despite the weird angle her neck had to be at in order to hold a conversation with somebody slumped unhappily in the overstuffed chair situated well behind the couch.

"Nothing." Emma grumbled. Her boots kept her ass from sliding too far off the chair. She sighed melodramatically.

"Oh for…you're absurdly grumpy." Regina hissed. "Come to bed. We'll wake up early and send you back to your horrid bed."

Emma didn't have to be told twice. Her boots hit the wooden floor and her jeans followed.

Then they lay together, side by side, Emma with her right hand over her forehead and her left arm dangling from the edge of the couch. She whispered, despite knowing that Snow and Henry had gone to bed already, "Snow thinks you're using me and that there's no way I can forgive you anyway, after what you did to Henry."

Regina blew out harshly. For just a second, Emma thought that she could see Regina's eyes glowing in the darkness.

She spoke after a lengthy silence. "Well, I can take care of the first part easily enough," Regina shifted so that their hips touched. "I'm not using you. You found me, remember? And I couldn't care less if anybody back…wherever, if any of them forgive me. As for you, however, I do care. So…" Regina breathed deeply and gave Emma a haughty look, craning her neck to the side. The only thing giving away Regina's nerves were the way she kept playing with the edge of her shirt. "Have you forgiven me?" Regina asked at last.

"I guess so." Emma shrugged, turning onto her left side. She felt Regina's hand curve over her hip. "Can we talk about it another time?" Emma mumbled. She felt Regina's lips press to the back of her head, Regina's hand smooth her hair back, and tried to let the nerves drain from her before falling into a fitful rest.

They did not get up in time.

Emma woke to see Snow staring at her. Emma glanced down quickly. Her arm was around Regina's waist. She extracted it slowly and got up as quietly as she could.

"Really?" Snow asked numbly.

Regina woke up seconds later. She shot away from Emma, sitting up quickly.

Emma muttered something. It sounded like "Whatever." Regina shot to her feet and made breakfast.

Two days later, Snow and Henry stood at the front entrance with their bags in hand.

"James needs us." Snow said grimly. "And we'll soon be needing both of you. Whatever plan James and the Council has put into play is coming to fruition. We'll need magic." She stared pointedly at Regina. "And we'll need the…sorry, Emma, but you are the Savior. We'll need your talents. Gifts you never even knew you had." Even as she addressed Emma, she continued to glare at Regina.

"I'm out of practice." Regina stared right back.

"Then practice." Snow said with a sweet smile.

Regina, looking resigned and oddly stoic, asked, "Just what is your plan?"

Snow spoke plainly, and loudly enough for Emma to hear really clearly:

"Keep my friends close and my enemy closer." Snow looked thoughtfully at Regina. She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but then just shook her head and smiled enigmatically. "We'll see you both very soon."

Henry hesitated at the door for much longer though. He seemed to debate something before taking a tentative step forward, between Emma and Regina.

They both hugged him at the same time. Emma could feel the kid sigh with relief.

"What did he say?" Emma asked after Henry and Snow had left.

"He said that he forgives me for the apple bullshit." Regina grimaced. "He actually said 'bullshit'. Who on earth taught him that?" She narrowed her eyes at Emma.

"Stop distracting me from the point of the conversation and no, I did not teach him that. He's old enough to learn swears from his peers." Emma sighed. "Listen, just…are you two ok? I mean, did he forgive you for lying to him all these years?" She glared harder. Emma wanted to add 'and for lying to me' but bit her tongue.

Regina looked like somebody had punched her in the chest. She nodded though. "He's beginning to, I think."

"Well that's something." Emma breathed out hard. "Listen…" She turned, suddenly angry. "I'm going to go out tonite, all right? I'll be back. I just need a bit of time to think about some stuff." She walked quickly, before Regina could flash those sad, hurt eyes, and went upstairs to change.

Emma's body felt abuzz. She wanted to go out. Three days of wholesome family bullshit (ok, so maybe she had taught the kid such language) had worn on her nerves. She needed a drink. Without Regina. Maybe with somebody else—somebody uncomplicated, who the fuck knew.

From the moment that Emma had decided to go out and pick some other woman up, things got real, really, really quickly.

During her walk to the bar, Emma tried to fight growing insecurity. Whatever domestic tranquility had been gifted to Regina and Emma was now giving way to mistrust and fear. To top it off, Emma felt like the top of her head was crawling or light or tingling or…something. She also felt as though she might be walking at a really weird speed. Like something was propelling her…

The club they had gone to a few evenings before served drinks and apps on the patio. Their lunch special was a tray of seafood samplers and a pint of whatever shitty beer Emma wanted. Emma finished the beer quickly and followed it with a Jameson on the rocks. Then she noticed something.

The bartender was totally checking her out. Emma smiled and nodded, then looked back out to where streams of people strolled by.

"On the house…" the waitress plunked a tumbler of port in front of Emma. She also slipped her a piece of paper.

"Ummm…ok…" Emma glanced quickly at the words scrolled in red. She had to pee. Also, the bartender wanted to meet her in the ladies. Emma was shocked at how easy the whole sex thing was. She didn't think that women were so forward.

She would have said as much, when she hit the restroom, but the bartender—who looked a bit like a Jordana Brewster—was too busy shoving her tongue down Emma's throat to listen to anything she had to say.

"What…but…" Emma gasped and shoved the amorous woman away. She felt like everything was moving at warp speed.

The bartender looked appalled. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"It's ok, just a bit fast." Emma felt that same strange crawling sensation on the top of her head. "I have to go check on something, but seriously…ummm…that was sort of fun. You're really hot."

Regina was waiting for Emma on the sidewalk. Her arms were crossed and she had the scariest expression on her face.

Emma scowled back and stood a foot away. "So. You still have magic, huh? Did you make the bartender act like an idiot back there?"

Regina's frown turned right side up momentarily. "My magic seems to work best when I'm feeling emotional. Watch this," She said, then spun on her heels and threw her hands in the air. From her palms, a reddish glow emanated. Above them, a flaming red dragon roared. Emma would have been as shocked as the twenty or so other people on the sidewalk around them, but just as quickly, the thing was doused and a smattering of rain fell from the sky.

"Fire and water." Regina spread her hands and muttered something else, some incoherent string of words, and everybody froze.

Emma felt as though every cell in her body was crystallizing. She could see, through a haze, that Regina was staying close to her. All around them, the air crackled with soundwaves.

She had time to think, at least. Even as Regina's voice filled Emma's head, telling her to forget, Emma had time to remember back to the moments leading up to all of this.

Why didn't she trust Regina? Emma now had her answer, loud and clear and beautifully simple. Regina would use any means possible to achieve her goals. It didn't matter who she hurt.

Emma worried that the whole seduction thing really _was_ part of Regina's plan.

Emma also didn't entirely care. She really didn't care if Regina had ulterior motives, because Emma knew what was in her own heart. Still, she wouldn't fall so easily into Regina's trap.

Seconds later, Emma snapped out of whatever spell Regina had cast. She could see others shaking their heads as well.

"What happened?" Emma honestly couldn't remember. She knew that they had met outside the bar, but beyond that, there was nothing.

"I'll tell you later. Lets go for a drink. Someplace different than that dump." Regina spoke in a low, dangerous tone. Emma felt helpless to follow her into a bar four buildings away.

Their first big argument since slamming each other against shelving units in a fake hospital, was epic but thankfully, not physical and not very loud since they were in a public place. Emma ordered drink after drink, finally accusing Regina of being a total con artist where she was concerned.

Snow White was blamed for part of the problem—for planting suspicions in Emma's mind. Worse than that, Regina wanted to know if Emma was just playing _her_.

"Playing _you_? Give me a fucking break. You said you wouldn't do anything, I was just…just…frustrated!" Emma figured she was lying but couldn't help it. What should she say? That she was using someone to get a head start. Perhaps honesty really was the best policy. Emma gave it a shot…

"Well? What do you want me to do? If you won't be my first, then I want you to be my second." Emma felt like she was flapping like a bird. This argument was stupid. The stupidest ever. "And I don't even want to sleep with that woman, but what am I supposed to do? I have to experience life. I'm tired of hiding out. Besides, how am I supposed to learn?"

"I wasn't implying that you needed to _learn_ something before we slept together," Regina hissed. "I was merely implying that I would not deal with being your experiment while you ran back to Storybrooke to marry some annoying Prince, or other."

"What Prince?" Emma nearly shrieked, she was so frustrated. "There is no Prince. What are you even talking about?"

"There are plenty of Princes, I'll have you know, and I'm sure that your mother would set you up with any one of them." Regina just kept talking. And talking. Until Emma had enough and kissed her, totally in public. Regina pulled away and growled, "Stop that, you can't just _do_ that whenever we have and argument." Regina scowled before leaning forward and practically mauling Emma with her tongue. She pulled away again, her lips shiny and wet. "And you are not going home with anybody but me from this point forward." She spoke quietly, leaned forward again, bit Emma's lower lip and then kissed it better again.

"Ow." Emma smiled. "Ok."

But there was another glitch in their plan.

Emma had had too much to drink this time. Really too much. She started feeling sick halfway through their cab ride. It was a short ride, but still, it felt really long to Emma soon enough.

They barely made it inside before Emma shouted at Regina to go upstairs, and threw herself into the small bathroom across from the kitchen.

Emma could hear Regina puttering in the kitchen. When she emerged, she was given a hot cup of lemon and honey tea, a vitamin C, and a bottle of water.

"Sorry." Emma muttered. Regina just patted her on the hair and kissed her bare shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere, Emma." Regina said softly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: In advance, I have to say, don't worry! The story will not end here. There are three more chapters at least. And thanks so much for all of your reviews and helpful suggestions and encouraging words**

**Chapter 8:**

An early evening run, followed by a chicken sandwich (she had very specific cravings when ill), followed by a hot shower eased Emma's hangover at last.

She wondered, pressing her forehead to the shower stall, just when they would stop all of this dancing around and actually get down to it.

The entire day had been torturous for Emma. Regina insisted on wearing a tight little blue dress for most of the afternoon, and Emma was totally certain that no underwear was involved in the wearing that dress. Emma was equally certain that she had felt Regina's eyes on her throughout the day—especially when she returned from her run, sweaty, hot, and wearing a long-sleeved shirt and stretchy pants.

The shower was cooling off by the time Emma emerged from it. She toweled off and promised herself at least a stolen kiss or two before bed.

There, waiting on the bed, wearing nothing but a black thong and a lacy black bra, was Regina. Regina stared at Emma like she wanted to eat her alive. Emma walked calmly toward her, leaned down, brushed dark hair back from Regina's face. When they kissed, it was warm and sweet and Regina's tongue caressing the inside of Emma's mouth felt like silk.

It turned intense fast. Emma dropped her towel just as Regina grasped her elbow, spun her and pressed her to the bed.

Then, Regina's tongue and lips were everywhere, kissing and licking over every curve of Emma's body, from her earlobes down to her neck, then over her rib cage. Emma was panting and shaking by the time Regina pinned her hands above her head and kissed her hard. Emma just wanted Regina close, but Regina was elusive, brushing everywhere over Emma's body.

What they were doing was intense enough without magic thrown into the mix. But magic demanded attention, dormant energies wanted release, and it wasn't just Regina who brought the energy out to play.

Just as Regina slipped her middle finger inside Emma, spreading her labia and touching her lightly there with the rest of her fingers, an electric blue light zapped the air that barely separated their bodies.

Regina's eyes grew wider—this wasn't just her doing. Emma growled, her eyes flashing blue-green, and suddenly Regina was completely naked.

"You have magic also." Regina laughed, delighted. "And just look at what you use it for."

"Undressing you is a good cause." Emma grinned in return and pulled Regina close for another kiss. Emma's hands smoothed over Regina's breasts, waves of blue electricity still emanating from her skin, and then Regina moaned and shook against her, and Emma asked quietly, "did you come from just that?" and received a breathless nod in reply. When Regina pulled back to meet Emma's eyes, her own pupils were shades of blue and purple, swimming together.

The energy was building even more intensely between them, as Regina flipped Emma onto all fours and found that now her hands emitted the blue-white jolts. She positioned Emma's hips in the air and leaned over to press Emma's head down onto the pillow. When her left hand plays between Emma's thighs and her right reaches around to circle Emma's clit, she rocked herself against Emma's thigh.

Something happened which was even stranger than before.

"Do you have five hands back there?" Emma asked, moaning and thrusting backward as every orifice, and even her breasts, were repeatedly and rhythmically stroked, zinged, caressed, and deeply massaged. Her g-spot was so engorged and her ass felt like it was dancing against Regina's fingertips and then, briefly, her tongue, which continued on and on…

Even when Regina sat back on her heels and watched as energy—her own and Emma's—mixed to create ghostlike touches and jolting caresses all over Emma's sweaty, trembling form. Emma shouted, hoarsely, close to coming but not wanting to without Regina's physical touch. She braced herself on her arms, then got to her feet, while Regina stood up on the bed and positioned herself behind her.

Regina slid the fingers of her left hand inside Emma's pussy, reached again with her right hand, and thrust herself again against Emma's thigh while she fucked her. Her own orgasm clenched and trembled deep inside her pussy, but she kept working her hands until Emma finally screamed her release.

Then Emma collapsed on the bed. Regina was quick to follow, pulling Emma close. Regina moved the sheets with her mind, levitating them so that both women were covered. "How did you do that?" Emma barely got the words out, and she just kept shaking. "I had…I think I had…I think…" She cupped Regina's neck and pressed her lips to her collarbone, "…like…at least three orgasms like…in a row…and that was just from what you did…here…" She gestured to her breasts and then grabbed Regina's hand to lazily flop over her left nipple. Emma shuddered again and then lay still.

For awhile, Regina let Emma sleep against her, sweaty and hot. She stroked Emma's shoulder and peeked down at her sleeping face, which looked younger in candlelight—younger and at peace. Regina kissed Emma's eyelids and mentally apologized for what she knew would be coming next for them.

An hour later, Regina rolled away from Emma, and stared at the flickering candles just beyond the doorway. There, in the shadows, was an image. Cora. Her mother. Waving and smiling. It wasn't a memory so much as a vision, and Regina had been having visions like these for days, but hadn't said a word to Emma about it all.

One night, very recently, while Emma slept peacefully against her back, Regina imagined herself turning to fire and then to ash, slipping through Emma's arms.

Now, Emma was awake and Regina still would tell her none of these terrible things.

"Can I touch you?" Emma asked softly, leaning up on one arm and brushing Regina's hair away from her face.

"You can try…" Regina swallowed a lump of fear, rolled onto her back and cupped Emma's face.

Emma's hands were sweaty again and her heart was suddenly racing, making it hard to breath evenly. She stayed on her side and just looked at Regina's form, her skin, mottled red but darker red than her own, and her belly trembling.

"Oh wow…" Emma gasped and leaned down to kiss Regina while she moved her hand slowly back and forth, using her palm to cup Regina's center. Emma's movements became more enthusiastic as she felt Regina swell inside and squirt just a little as she dug her heels in the bed and relaxed against Emma's fingers. "Oh double wow…" Emma stammered and hid her reddening face in Regina's hair, stroking her, again and again, just like that, almost gentle and rough—deep—at the same time. She felt Regina reach down, jamming her hand between Emma's palm and her clit, felt her rub herself frantically, and then pressed herself hard against Regina's hip bone, moaning as she felt Regina clenching around her fingers.

Then, using her mouth this time, Emma hummed as she explored the curves of Regina's breasts. She experimented with sucking on Regina's nipples, which earned her some fantastic sound effects. Regina's skin was softer than anybody else Emma had ever touched, and there were places that made her melt and shake at once. It was electrifying to take another woman into her mouth for the first time, despite the nerves that accompanied it all. Emma watched as Regina's neck arched; she felt Regina's clit harden in her mouth just as she heard her cry out.

Seconds later, from beside the bed, Emma's phone chose that moment to interrupt them.

"You should take that call." Regina decided, like she already knew who it was. She swiped a thumb over Emma's chin and smiled sweetly.

It was Snow. She wanted Emma to come back and to bring Regina with her. Now.

"Uh huh." Emma whispered. "You think it's safe? You think Regina's magic will be strong enough? I don't think she knows a lot of it anymore." She could have added, 'unless you count sex magic', but didn't really want to freak the increasingly maternal Snow out.

"Oh, I think she's been practicing." Snow chuckled on the other line. "Besides, I now trust—completely—that you can keep her in line. Of all people, I think that you've gotten through to her the most often. Despite all of your fights, you have a way with Regina."

"A way?" Emma asked quietly. She blushed bright red.

Snow sounded confused for a moment. "Yes, I mean, you two fight—you actually fight! She doesn't just order you around. You always manage to communicate even when it ends in an argument. Emma? Why are you so quiet?"

Regina didn't ask about the conversation, though she kept looking at Emma, trying to read her mood. She scowled when Emma started giggling like an idiot, just before hanging up.

They left early in the morning, after sneaking a few hours of sleep. When the door locked on Regina's sanctuary, Emma turned back, watching as Regina struggled to leave the place behind.

They drove mostly in silence, both lost in thought and worry, but then, Regina made Emma pull off onto the side of the highway, in the middle of an abandoned parking lot behind a husk of an old building, when they were still five hours from Storybrooke.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked as Regina shoved the driver's side seat back and straddled her hips.

Regina said breathlessly, "Nothing. Nothing at all…" She wrenched Emma's head close for a kiss and groaned as Emma's hands cupped her ass. The shirt Regina wore was unbuttoned quickly and opened so that Emma had room to bend and nudge her bra aside and take one hardening nipple into her mouth. Emma found her hand shoved between them, guided by Regina's, and then she was up the skirt Regina had insisted on wearing. It was easy to slip underwear aside, and easier to shove two fingers inside, when Regina was this hot and this wet. It did not take long before Regina began grinding faster and harder until her hips shook and her mouth fell open silently. She buried her face against Emma's neck when she came.

The rest of the drive back to Storybrooke would be completely blocked out of Emma's mind. It was romantic and gorgeous and boring, and everything Emma had ever wanted in a cheesy road trip.

Except for one problem.

Like when Regina totally used the opportunity to ditch Emma by the roadside, just outside of town.

To add insult to injury, Regina stole their car, leaving Emma to walk half an hour back into town and through town and then to Snow White's. Her feet and chest aching, Emma began to sob the second she saw her mother standing in the front yard expectantly.

"How did you know I'd be here right at this moment?" The question came muffled as Emma slumped against Snow's shoulder.

"I don't know." Snow decided after a moment. "Something made me come outside to find you…"

In the days and weeks that followed, Emma spoke very little and slept a great deal. Regina's name was not to be spoken, and she didn't try to contact anybody in Storybrooke. Emma assumed that Regina would be long gone by this point—way beyond Philly and into any part of the States she could disappear to.

Eventually, the wound healed to a dull ache.

It was Henry who got Emma out of her funk, but it was Rumpelstiltskin who challenged her to step up and take responsibility.

Henry and Emma had been walking on the beach, though it was late Fall and beginning to take on that awful damp coldness that had taken Emma so long to accustom herself to. Henry was asking about Regina, about Emma's time with her, about clues to this latest problem. "Maybe she has a plan and couldn't tell you about it." Henry guessed. He was often on repeat like that, worried about things he shouldn't be worried about. Emma wondered why he didn't feel more betrayed. Something in his conversations with Regina had convinced him that she was trying to fix things.

They came to a strange assortment of wooden stakes and piles of sand, about thirty yards from where Henry's old castle used to stand. Emma immediately took out her cell phone and called in reinforcements when Rumpelstiltskin emerged from behind one of the mounds.

"What now?" Emma growled at the idiot man who was now wearing nothing but a pair of leather leggings and an old green vest.

"Belle has left me. Yet again." He said with a smirk. Which was weird, since he was describing some sort of personal heartbreak.

"What does that have to do with me?" Emma replied. She sent Henry away to stand at a distance.

"I haven't decided." The man shrugged his thin shoulders and stared mournfully at Henry. "Perhaps I want lessons in parenting." He grinned, obviously meaning something other than what was said, but…really, who knew with this guy.

"What is it that you really want?" Emma asked him. "I mean be specific."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Revenge…" He said, obviously without meaning it. "Or perhaps I want you to find someone for me. Someone I once knew. You're a bounty hunter, I'm sure you'll be successful. You did bring our dear Queen back to us. Even if she ditched you by the side of the road…" He raised his cane and made a weird shape in the air with it. Something like an 'E' or maybe an 'S'. The letter blazed red for a moment then went out again. "I want Belle back, and for that, I need to show her that I'm capable of creating a real home. A family. All of that jazz."

"Oh give it a fucking rest!" Emma shouted. "You're so ridiculous. Just ask for help. Can't you do that?"

"I think I'd rather fight with you than ask for your help directly." Rumpel seemed almost powerless then, as though his words were honestly true. He couldn't help but make a mess of their interactions, even if something deeper lay beneath his requests.

He conjured a weapon from thin air—a long, silver sword, much like the one Emma had once used on a dragon, many months ago—and threw it to her. His own weapons consisted of fire, shooting in bursts from his hands, searing the skin on Emma's hands when she held the sword in front of her. She threw the weapon aside.

A moment later, Emma felt the impact of something—some kind of electricity—and she knew that he would kill her now. She could smell something burning, something like leather.

Except…Rumpelstiltskin wasn't doing this…

It was Emma herself.

It was the same energy that had flown from Emma's hands while she made love to Regina, except now the energy was too much for her to handle.

Alone. She couldn't handle it alone. It wasn't supposed to be her magic to take care of all by herself.

Voices emerged from beyond the bend of earth and grass, up higher than where she stood now.

"Emma!" It was James, panicked, but frozen in place.

Even as James' voice echoed in Emma's ears, another voice came to her.

Like a whisper of air and a whoosh of some familiar warmth, there was someone directly behind Emma. Sand and water flew behind her as the apparition solidified and became a human form.

Words were whispered in Emma's ear.

"Hold. On…"

Then, Emma was channeling the electricity that flowed through her. She felt fingers thread through her own and she was suddenly cool, as though a wave of water has moved through her.

As soon as it began, it was over. Emma stood, unharmed, as Rumpelstiltskin smiled and leaned heavily on his cane. Around him, was a glowing, electric-blue cage.

"Well done, dearies. You've passed your first test!" He spoke cheerfully but wearily. In fact, he looked really, really worn out.

Regina walked out from behind Emma and stared at him. "You have a choice." Regina drew the words out. Her hair was longer, again, and she looked too skinny. "Stay in that cage, or use your powers to help this town."

"Same choice that you have, Your Majesty." He replied, wiping a hand over his mouth hard. He fell to his knees, but not before a splash of water arced from Regina's hand to his lips. He gratefully cupped the water and drank it.

There wasn't time for Emma to take in their strange reunion. She was already scrambling back up the sandy embankment and storming away by the time Regina turned to follow.

Even Snow White was unprepared for her daughter's fury when they all came together. She cringed as Emma picked up the nearest object to her—a broken plastic Frisbee—and flung it violently at Regina's head.

"How could you!" Emma sobbed. "How could you do that to me?"

"I had to." Regina said. "I knew I'd die. You would have watched me turn to flames the second I stepped into Storybrooke. I felt it, the spell he used…and I." She paused and scowled. "Nevermind the rest. Whatever it was, it was old magic. I couldn't tell you because I needed you to convince the others that I was a complete turncoat and that I was never coming back." She spoke plainly, like she was bored or disinterested, or, maybe, like she'd already given up on forgiveness.

The next words from Emma's mouth stunned them both.

"You made me fall for you, you played me and then you left." She hissed the words, like they hurt her to say them.

"You'll never believe me, but I never pretended to care about you." Regina replied numbly before walking away.


	9. Chapter 9

The return of Regina Mills actually created a temporary sense of order in Storybrooke. Rumpelstiltskin was kept in his prison. "The prisoner does have right," Emma was fond of saying, so she had him moved to the psychiatric floor of the hospital. It was ironic, especially since Belle sometimes visited him there. There were magical entities still to be dealt with, but they retreated into the forest when Regina's magic made itself apparent again.

Emma was still Sheriff, though Regina was no longer Mayor. That job had fallen on Snow White, but increasingly, Snow sought Regina's advice on town matters.

There were other challenges to be faced. Some of the townspeople were more confused and angry post-curse than they had been during those 28 years. Entire families had to restructure themselves to reflect their old realities, but often, the mere knowledge that a person's partner had been sleeping with somebody else for over two decades, or that a child had been raised entirely by other people, ended relationships before they could rebuild.

Some began to act out. As Fall turned to Winter, Emma had to patrol emptied out buildings and houses throughout town, to make sure that runaway youth weren't squatting in unsafe conditions. She even hired two new staff whose sole purpose was to patrol when she couldn't. Snow, in the meantime, had to find funds for the town's first ever homeless shelter.

When families broke up, they sometimes left their properties empty, since the town's old 'landlord' was in prison now anyway. It was a weird situation, made more complicated by the fact that Snow White had to beg the state for moneys while lying about the true causes of increased homelessness.

One day, on one of Emma's patrols, she came across a house that was not only a squatter's haven—though without heat or running water, it was actually a death trap—but a place where, apparently, the local youth had decided to practice some of their redecorating skills. Smashed out windows, a terrifying version of a 'tree house', and some kind of unsafe bridge running from a second story window to the rotting pile of wood, caused Emma to investigate further.

On her way into the house, she heard thudding footsteps. She ran out the back door and followed a male youth on foot.

She chased the guy as far as she could, almost out of town, in fact, but then stopped. Her doubts weighed heavily. It was as though she could see a line in the dirt, between herself as Sheriff, and the person she used to be—the person being chased by the law. Parking her car at the town's edge, Emma turned on the siren once, twice, then again, then stood in silence with her car door open and her arms resting lightly on it as the young man waved at her from beyond Storybrooke.

She took whatever money was in her pocket—about fifty bucks—and stuck it under a rock in front of her car. Then, she scrawled her personal cell number on a piece of paper and left that as well.

Knowing it wouldn't be hard to catch up with the kid, Emma stopped at the diner where she and August had found their tree-portal-thing. She used the restroom and then splashed her face repeatedly with cold water. When she caught her reflection, her eyes stared back at her with dark rims beneath them and some sadness she hadn't noticed before.

She could just keep going. Follow the kid out of town, have him apprehended and then, maybe, just not come back.

Henry would be fine. He would have family.

Or, Emma could face her life.

So if she faced being a mother, and faced being a leader in this town and faced being a responsible adult…jesus _fuck_, what would _that_ look like? She shook her head. Whatever her life would amount to, it probably wouldn't involve staring at herself in the mirror forever.

Her first step in the right direction, Emma decided, would be to concentrate on work for a while. She finished the paperwork that her admin assistant wanted for the files, and arranged the pick-up of the youth she had just chased by neighboring authorities and the teen's social worker. The boy had apparently taken her money and snuck past her when she left the diner that afternoon. He was eating pecan pie when his social worker showed up. Emma personally promised the worker that she would aid in his case planning from that point onward and made arrangements for their first team meeting.

Emma picked up groceries on her way home later that evening. She didn't know what to make, so she picked out tonnes of greens, three different kinds of meat, random veggies, and for good measure, bought three herb plants.

When she got back to Snow's, she discovered that playing Explosions in the Sky while drinking red wine while cooking a recipe according to Gordon Ramsay's instructions, all amounted to some amazing food. She also discovered that setting an elaborate table for dinner, with the fanciest plates available, and totally beautiful presentation, could be undone by blasting Elastica in the background. Henry, Snow and James gave grimacing smiles as they sat down to eat. Emma ran for the stereo and turned Stutter down to an incoherent buzz.

"This is really good." Henry was being truthful. It was good. And not just because the food tasted good and nobody died from any undercooked pork.

Later, they went to Granny's for dessert. Then, because it was just a super fun and random thing to do, Emma made a date—an actual date—with a woman who slipped her phone number into Emma's pocket as she was leaving. Emma wasn't sure who the woman's fairytale persona was supposed to be, but the slip of paper had blue sparkles all over it.

The date was a bust, but Emma decided to keep trying anyhow. She worked hard, shared chores and cooking responsibilities with her parents (and to some degree Henry, because the kid hadn't done a dish in his life up until that point), and she went on dates.

She and Regina split holiday times with Henry, though they didn't need to communicate much about it since he could easily choose which household he wanted to spend time at.

Temporarily, Regina had taken a room in Granny's. Granny was tolerating Regina's presence as a kind of community service thing, since the mansion was now being used for a school.

Actually, it was a school for children interested in magic. During a closed town council meeting to deal with the former Queen's return, Regina had made the offer to teach magical protection. Enrollment sky-rocketed immediately. Some (mostly Emma) blamed the Harry Potter novels, but many parents put their kids into the school because they wanted some kind of responsible use of magic in Storybrooke. Then, when lessons started going overtime, Regina abandoned her house to a full time staff of trained teachers and a number of students who needed to immerse themselves in the curriculum.

Emma grumbled often that the mayoral mansion had become fucking Hogwarts. There were rumors that some of the senior students and the full time staff had begun to resurrect Regina's beloved apple tree. The apples' sleeping properties were to be replaced with more desirable effects—in particular, seeing into the future.

The town was becoming more and more excited about magic as a result of the new schooling initiative.

Henry asked to be able to attend lessons once a week, during the evening hours. Emma decided that that would be fine, so long as she could supervise.

"Do what makes you happy." Came Regina's second-hand response, communicated through Snow, who sighed and rolled her eyes at the drama of it all, then added "and next time, speak to her yourself, ok?"

"We don't need to speak." Emma responded.

The night after that whole exchange, Emma ended up at a small bar further toward the town's outskirts, in the opposite direction of the roads she usually travelled. She drank more tequila than anybody should. There, a younger woman, probably in her early 20s, with hair dyed dark red and tied atop her head in a single black ribbon, captured Emma's attentions. Emma liked the curves of her biceps and the long black tattoo of a distorted dragon that ran down along one smooth forearm.

The sex wasn't bad. Nails along Emma's back and bruising grips on her thighs were just the relief she needed. Strangely, there were sparkles all over Emma's clothes yet again. She seemed to be attracting this sort of thing as of late.

Four days later, Emma accompanied Henry to his magic lessons.

The house was lit up with voices, with magic, with an incredible number of people all dedicated to fulfilling their own unique destinies in Storybrooke. Emma watched as a young girl levitated sparkling silver threads above her head while another girl turned the threads into dew. They ran away laughing as Regina approached, glanced as Emma with a smile, and promptly turned around again to follow the girls.

The children seemed to really enjoy Regina's teaching style. There were other teachers, not quite as powerful or as knowledgeable, but equally enthusiastic. Regina wore the same designer suits and dresses she had worn before, but Emma sometimes caught the former Mayor turned teacher in leather boots and funky leather bracelets.

It wasn't always easy to see Regina. When Emma caught sight of that familiar shock of dark hair, those intense brown eyes, that easy way that Regina inhabited her body and her town, Emma felt her chest ache. She wanted so much that she would never admit to anybody.

One day, in the late Spring, not long before Regina would have to end magical schooling for the year, Snow told Emma two important pieces of information at once.

First, she had been talking a great deal to Regina as of late and not just about mayoral matters. It had begun with coffee, then lunch, then the occasional breakfast at Granny's.

"Ok, whatever." Emma knew that Snow and Regina had their own shit to sort out. She tried not to care that it excluded her.

Second, Snow informed Emma that she and James would be taking a vacation. Moreover, they would be taking that vacation in Philadelphia—using Regina's empty loft as a place to stay.

"Sure." Emma frowned. That loft had been her and Regina's nest. Whatever though. Let others enjoy the place. She shuffled her cutlery together as they talked.

They were, in fact, in Granny's when Snow decided to discuss these things with Emma.

Both had been under the impression that Regina was gone for the day. But as it turned out, Regina had slept in. And she hadn't been alone.

As Regina entered the diner, she was trailed by Red. The two women touched hands lightly before Regina walked quickly outside and around the corner.

That was it then. The final moment when Emma felt her heart actually crack in her chest. She stared at Snow and tried desperately to ignore Red's cheerful greeting.

Snow, seeing Emma's face, whispered in a shocked tone, "I thought you didn't care, I'm sorry, I would have told you myself. They're seeing where it might go, but Emma…would you stop!"

Emma had run out of the diner, hoping to catch Regina. Her face was beet red. She watched as Regina's car rolled slowly away and then merged with the morning traffic.

Snow finally caught up to her daughter and spun her around. "They're just spending time to spend time. Nobody wants to be lonely, Emma." Snow's eyes were pleading. "You're seeing people, she's seeing people. What do you want?"

"I…whose side are you on?" Emma threw her hands in the air.

"Yours, of course." Snow pulled her close.

Emma let herself be hugged. She sort of needed it. Snow probably needed it more.

She decided to avoid Regina even more after that—to try even harder to care even less about Regina's presence.

That worked out fine until Emma heard through the grapevine, two months later, that Regina and Red were no _longer_ seeing one another. The whirlwind affair had forced Emma to confront the time that had passed and a growing sense that she and Regina might not have a great number of second chances left.

The desire to see Regina, to talk to her, became suddenly immense.

Emma found Regina teaching magic to Hanzel and Gretyl in the park. Regina had moved back into her own home and the magical school was out, but apparently some kids were still eager for extra lessons.

Hanzel and Gretyl's father was standing close by, observing as Regina taught the boy and girl to alternately levitate and lower one another, like a Teeter Totter without anything actually between them. Hanzel and Gretyl had an apparently complicated past with Regina, though, according to Henry, they had forgiven Regina her previous actions after a series of group therapy sessions with Archie.

Emma shook her head watching the small group interact. Everyone, it seemed, had forgiven Regina. She wondered what the hell had gone on in all of those 'sharing' sessions. What had Regina revealed about herself to regain trust and even affection?

It had something to do with Regina's mother, this much Emma knew for sure. Even Snow White said Cora's name with bitterness in her tone. What had the woman done? What she had done to Regina?

The lesson was apparently over, so Emma turned to walk away before Regina could notice her. She was suddenly nervous and wanted to buy some time.

It didn't work. Besides, Emma's nerves were no match for other needs.

Between Emma and her car, Regina suddenly appeared, out of a cloud of purple smoke that trailed from behind them both. Emma felt her heart start to pound.

"Should have thought that one through a little more clearly." Regina deadpanned, without even saying hello.

"Why is that?" Emma tried to sound casual.

"Well." Regina frowned. "It appears…" She took her time before looking down. "As though I've stepped right into a pile of dog droppings."

Despite herself, Emma burst into laughter.

"Well then, it was worth it." Regina said with a smile.

Something twitched in Emma's jaw. She reached out and took Regina's hand, moved her away from the crisis, and bent down to remove her shoes for her.

They sat in the squad car in silence after that.

"So. Red, huh?" Emma started with the latest problem.

Regina shrugged. "What about you and that fairy? She told everyone, you know. Besides, I told Snow to tell you. Red and I are just friends."

They glanced at one another, but when their eyes met, both women narrowed them.

"You haven't even spoken to me. You haven't even tried to explain yourself." Emma's words broke the angry silence.

Measuring the distance between them, Regina lifted her hand and carefully laid it on Emma's thigh. She said,

"I'm talking to you now. Can we start here, at the very least?"


	10. Chapter 10

They ended up at Regina's place, because she needed a change of shoes and didn't feel much like walking all the way home in bare feet.

Walking immediately to the kitchen, Regina filled her kettle with water and turned the stove on. The house was empty, but as Emma slipped off her jacket and removed her boots at the entrance, she realized that the space still felt warmer than it had before the curse broke.

For her part, Regina just seemed happy to be back home. She even hummed as she made a pot of some kind of spiced black tea. Emma stood in the doorway to the kitchen and watched Regina open the fridge, bending to retrieve a plate of cheese and fruit. There was a twinge in Emma's chest as she thought back to their time together in the city.

"So, when did you figure out you were gay?" Regina's question made Emma choke on the cheese and cracker she had been handed. She coughed as they made their way to the dining room.

"Woah. Regina, right to the point." Emma swiped her mouth with the back of one hand, reaching for her tea with the other. "Do we need labels?"

Regina sipped her tea thoughtfully. "No, I don't suppose we do."

"What about you?" Emma tried to cut herself some slices of soft cheese, but her hand shook slightly. Being so close to Regina was causing problems. Emma watched as a hum of blue light emerged in her palm.

"I'm different." Regina decided after watching Emma make a mess of the brie for some time, and then snatching the cheese knife from her. She cut three perfectly even chunks and placed them on Emma's plate. "I don't think we had the same constraints in our old land."

Emma snorted. "No, you had worse ones." Then she grimaced, remembering the whole arranged marriage thing.

"Yes." Regina shrugged, seemingly unmoved by Emma's concern. "At the same time, we had a certain kind of freedom. I used to host parties which, in this land, might be labeled in a particular way…"

"What? Like orgies?" Emma squirmed, fighting the mix of arousal and jealousy that accompanied an image of Regina amidst numerous naked bodies.

"Don't dwell on it." Regina's eyes followed Emma's churning emotions, showing first in flushed cheeks, then in clenched hands. "It's important for you to play with your newfound freedom as well, isn't it?" She sipped her tea. "To find yourself, in this new context. So you've figured out one or two things about yourself, and I assume that playing the field will…"

"Maybe that isn't what I want." Emma interrupted. Her face and chest now mottled red, Emma muttered her desires as though she were afraid of their outcome. "What do you want?"

Regina shrugged. "It's been lonely. For a long time. I just want to try being happy." Her eyelashes fluttered as she met Emma's eyes again.

"Are you lonely now? Still?" Emma fought the urge to reach for Regina's hands which looked so cold on the table.

"Less so," Regina brushed one of those hands against Emma's arm and added, "Now that you're speaking to me again."

In the days to come, Emma threw herself back into work, enlisting Regina's help when needed. Teen runaways were one thing, but the hexes being thrown around town between innumerable small factions, were creating a larger 'magical' problem. When a number of households all along the same street, created a civil war over one group's allegiance to the Green Fairy, Regina had to be called in to remove the boils, blindness, and drunken lethargy spells that had been cast back and forth.

"All hail the Green Fairy!" The skinny, bald, wrinkled grandfather who had begun the problem tried to shout his dedication in Regina's face.

"You're an idiot." Regina hissed at him, though she did get rid of his skin afflictions.

Leaning against the Sheriff's car, Emma couldn't help but chuckle at the mess.

Nearly fifty people in total were sitting out on their sidewalks, in the middle of an unusually cool, damp and drizzly day, while Regina waved her hands, walked between them, and reversed every spell she could. Regina looked fucking annoyed. She looked even more annoyed when local townspeople showed up to watch. Emma noted with interest (and a familiar twinge) that Red had arrived to actually help, instead of gawk. She walked quickly to Regina, muttered something in her ear, and shoved a cup of hot tea into her hands, before walking over to join Emma.

"There's a massive feast over at the docks. Grumpy is throwing it to distract his girlfriend before he proposes to her." Red informed Emma, craning her neck to look the crowd over.

"Cool. I'm hungry." As if to emphasize the point, Emma rubbed her belly and stretched. Regina walked quickly over to join them, exhaustion written all over her face.

"You done?" Red asked.

"Yes, I am finished. I just need something from Gold's old shop." Regina's eyes closed. She swayed on her feet and pressed her thumbs to her temples.

"Emma will drive you. Join us later, all right?" Red smiled at them both, rubbed Regina's shoulder briefly, then briskly walked away.

"There's one thing. I just need to replenish my energy." Regina muttered.

"Anything." Emma took her elbow and opened the passenger side door. "What usually works?"

Regina waited until they were settled in the car, with the windows closed, before she blurted out, "Sex."

Emma accidentally turned on the siren then, startling a number of onlookers. She quickly switched the siren off and stared ahead mutely.

"In lieu of…" Regina added, breathing deeply. "I need a crystal that Gold…" Her words trailed off as Emma's hand brushed over her thigh. Regina chuckled. "Not yet."

"No?" Emma asked nervously. The energy coming from Regina was like a black hole or something. It sucked Emma in, pulling her close. Regina covered her hand and held it tightly.

"I know what you want. It's what I want also. Just. Not yet." Regina's eyes were suddenly open and intent on Emma's face. She was even more energized, half an hour later, after emerging from Gold's shop with a small pink crystal around her neck. The energy radiating from her was still intense but it didn't suck Emma in so much as radiate outward. Emma started the car again, trying to ignore the urge to tear off Regina's black coat and thin purple dress.

They drove in silence to the docks, though Regina's eyes kept wandering over Emma's thighs and—Emma was pretty sure—her crotch. Emma shifted in her seat, certain that she could feel Regina's gaze actually stroking her. It really made the car ride difficult. By the time they arrived at their destination, Emma was ready to hump the steering wheel if that was all she could get.

She was starving though she wanted to get food and get out of there as fast as possible. Not only was she fairly certain that Grumpy's nun/fairy girlfriend was going to flit away from the question of marriage (which made a public proposal awkward) but Emma just had to get herself away from Regina. Her hands were starting to tingle, and she could see electric light just beneath her fingertips.

The feast was in fact a barbeque. Grumpy had thrown every kind of meat imaginable onto an enormous grill, while the rest of the Dwarves laid out salads and drinks. Regina had slipped away to talk to a group of men leaning against Grumpy's boat.

One of the men, who wore green leather pants (odd) and had a blonde mullet (ew) leaned forward, air-kissed Regina's cheek…

…and then Emma shot him with a bolt of lightning.

She hadn't meant to, she was just pent up. The bolt arced from her left hand and then, weirdly enough, was joined by a matching arc from Regina's hand. The blonde mullet-guy flew into the air and then somersaulted into the water behind him.

Before they could assess the damange they had done, Regina bolted toward Emma just as people started shouting and leaping into the water.

"We have to get out of here. Dammit." Regina grabbed at Emma's elbow—hard—and yanked her away from the group. "I was just talking to him, but that is besides the point. We have to deal with this."

"What?" Emma was disappointed when she realized that Regina was referring only to the magic. They walked quickly to the furthest point they could find. The waters were calm and the wind was as well. Sunshine kept peaking out from behind the clouds.

What Emma remembered most about that day, was that she was wearing her favorite jeans and a silk shirt that actually had belonged to Regina at one point. Both items of clothing were wrecked by the time they were through.

"We can't keep doing this. If we're even going to be around one another, much less…" Regina slipped her jacket off and threw it onto the grassy bank.

"What are you talking about, Regina?" Emma pleaded, throwing her jacket onto the bank as well.

"I want you." Regina's voice was strangled and hoarse. "But I don't understand this magic between us." Her hands were outstretched as she walked toward Emma. A sudden arc of blue connected them. "If, whenever we feel intensely toward one another, we create deadly bolts of lightning, we are going to someone." Regina stepped closer so that the energy vibrated between them. "We have to practice."

Feeling strangely ambivalent and practically humming with some underlying energy, Emma asked. "What do we do?"

They hands met and fingers intertwined. Then, just beside them, the water rose up in the shape of a thin, wide cylinder, and crashed over them.

Regina sputtered and laughed while Emma just sputtered.

They spent an hour creating different shaped arcs, waves, and even shapes in the sand. Regina had removed the small crystal from around her neck, but whenever someone tired, they took turns wearing the crystal again.

Finally, their energies dissipated and each sat heavily on the grassy embankment.

"So." Emma huffed. "You want me?"

"Ugh, shut up." Regina grinned at her. "You know I do." Her eyes were pale purple for just a second as she leaned in. Their first kiss in months was tinged with nervousness on both sides. It was still amazing. Emma didn't even mind how soaked her jeans were. She pulled away only slightly to tease Regina when grains of sand scraped against her cheek.

"You taste like sand. And seaweed. And is that…worms?" Emma muttered against Regina's lips, then laughed at the swat she received.

"I need a shower." Regina decided, snuggling against Emma's neck and pushing until they could lay together. "I have sand in unspeakable places."

"Together or…" Emma tried to keep the whine from her voice.

"_Apart_. For now." Regina hesitated but then patted Emma's hip firmly and pushed herself away. "Magic is even more intense here in Storybrooke. I don't want to destroy our power supply or electrocute anybody walking by my house."

They parted ways reluctantly, just after Emma called Red to check up on their unintentional victim. The guy was ok, but he had been admitted for overnight observation.

"You two are _intense_." Red added before Emma could hang up. "I don't think anybody will be hitting on the Queen anytime soon."

Rolling her eyes at a bemused Regina, Emma thought that she could still hear Red laughing even after her call ended.

They met often over the next two weeks. Regina insisted that they practice their newfound skills, to differentiate between energy and electricity, and between matter and energy, even as they explored the interconnections.

Regina had been watching Emma from the corner of her eye as they ate lunch one afternoon while on a break from their magical practice.

"What's up?" Emma was wearing a sundress, because it was suddenly hot as hell, and she was tired and sweaty and wanted their day to end in either sleeping or fucking, she didn't care which.

Regina had other ideas. "Watch this." She walked twenty feet in front of Emma, turned around, and waved her hands.

A fire-breathing dragon, made completely of light and flame, leapt from her and sped around the yard.

Her mouth falling open, Emma remembered that day in Philadelphia. She stood, aimed her hands, and the dragon turned to a blue, crackling light.

Regina turned it into water, which rained lightly over them both.

"You're ridiculous." Emma fumed, turning and walking into the house.

"I had to show you. I'm sorry I made you forget." Regina strode after the angry woman, then sped in front of Emma in a streak of purple. "I was just playing." Her smirk was erased by Emma's insistent mouth, a second later, as they fell to the kitchen floor.

"Ouch." Emma muttered darkly, her elbow smashing against the tile. Regina cupped the rapidly forming bruise and it disappeared immediately. For some reason, that turned Emma on immensely. Seeing the care that Regina took in healing her, seeing the affection on Regina's face, connected warmth blooming in Emma's chest to warmth lower down. She groaned and circled her hips against Regina's torso, raising one bare leg as Regina reached for the hem of her dress and lifted it. A second later, Regina's fingers were pulling Emma's panties aside. "I'm still pissed." Emma growled, helpless to stop.

"Concentrate…" Regina moaned against Emma's lips and tongue as she slipped inside with two fingers. They had been talking about this—and all the talking got them both hotter—but neither had wanted to fall back into bed until they could focus well enough to willfully shift the energy between them. "This is too fast…" Regina moaned again as she spread her legs and Emma's thigh fell between them.

"It's ok. Please. Just give me what I need." Emma reached down and directed Regina's thumb to her clit, then her hands clasped the sides of Regina's face and she kissed her deeply. It was all embarrassingly quick. Emma's knees slid along the floor as Regina's fingers pumped inside of her, drawing a long keening wail that Emma tried to muffle against Regina's neck when she came.

"Nothing happened!" Regina exclaimed breathlessly, rubbing Emma's back in small circles.

"I came so hard I saw stars." Emma muttered from where she lay.

"No, I mean—there wasn't extraordinary energy. Just us. That was just _us_. We contained the magic!" Breathing a sigh of total relief, Regina held Emma in her arms and let herself relax.


	11. Chapter 11

The kitchen smelled faintly of the cinnamon and honey Regina had used earlier in their tea. It added to the pleasant afterglow Emma enjoyed. Regina's hands kneaded sore muscles on Emma's back, her breath gently warmed the crown of Emma's head.

She was still resting in Regina's arms when the first town siren went off.

"Shit!" Craning her neck in the direction of the front door, Emma pushed herself up and off of the woman beneath her.

"Stupid sirens." Regina muttered. She clenched her thighs together around Emma's waist before letting her go again. "Stupid town alarm system. What on earth do they think they're doing?" Frustration of many varieties was written all over Regina's face. Her cheeks and chest were flushed and her eyes were glazed.

"Well whatever it is, it worked, because I'm going to go see what the hell is up." Emma yanked on Regina's hand. "Relax, I'll reciprocate later." She leaned in for a kiss and willed Regina to snap out of it.

"Your gun darling. Not as though you'll be needing it." Regina rolled her eyes and gestured to the upstairs guestroom that held the safe that held Emma's firearm when she visited. She laughed at Emma's retreating back. Guns really weren't all that useful in Storybrooke any longer.

Half an hour later, Regina ate her words.

There were fifty locals with shotguns, at least twenty with handguns, and more than a few with long swords. Everyone stood at the woods edge, no more than a mile from where Rumpelstiltskin was held captive.

"What did Rumpel do this time?" Regina hurled balls of fire to lay waste to fifteen ghoulish looking creatures that continually poured from the path that would have brought them to their captive's little cabin. The creatures were identical, all with blue-grey skin, greasy white hair, long sharp teeth, and long nails. They created utter chaos, scratching and biting their way through the crowd.

James joined Regina and Emma and the three alternated fire, bullets, and hand-to-hand combat, getting more than covered by the ash and blood that emanated from the destroyed creatures.

Glancing beside her, Emma saw that three of the creatures were trying to sneak up on Regina. She grasped Regina's hand and pulled her closer.

The moment their fingers touched, a cage of silver light surrounded the townspeople, and aimed its outer reaches at the attacking creatures. The fight was over. The ghouls were electrocuted, melted, and turned quickly to ash.

"Should have tried that sooner." Emma decided with a frown. "But I thought we tapped down that magic?" She adjusted her dress and gazed at the fatigued townspeople around them.

Regina shrugged. "Something happened to bring it back. Fear, stress." Her thumb absently brushed against Emma's palm. Their hands squeezed together, then released. Later, Regina would recall a strange feeling, as if their magic had been magnetically pulled towards the demons.

Moving quickly through the crowd, Regina healed wounds wherever she could. In the end, only three of Storybrooke's residents were lost.

Of course it still called for a wake and celebratory party. Which meant drunken and sad orations about each of the fallen. It also meant that they were all even more distracted from Rumpelstiltskin's real motives to instigating the attack.

It would take a day or two to piece it together. From the moment Emma arrived at Granny's, her mind was taken over by a drunken sort of haze. There were drinks and a strange little woman with green eyes who sort of looked like Rumpel's long-lost aunt if he had such a thing…

…then, there were two such women, singing in Emma's ears and telling her what a hero she was.

Emma remembered nothing from the night past the point when she arrived at Granny's. Just one drink and then a blurry image of Regina walking away.

When Emma emerged from her blackout, she was naked, in bed, with two women she didn't know. The bed was familiar. Emma searched for clues even as she clutched her head. The green eyed women were much less attractive in the light of early morning than they had been the night before.

A knock on the door came seconds too late for Emma to cover herself.

"Get going. Now!" It was Red. With all of Emma's clothes, which she tossed onto her friend without flinching at the sight of her.

"What the hell happened?" Emma hissed, trying—oddly—not to wake the two women.

"You're a giant ho, that's what happened." Red grinned but her eyes were annoyed. "And you made Regina cry. Really, like…cry." She looked surprised for a second. "Well…one tear. She had one perfect tear flowing down her face when I saw her." Red tapped her chin with a curious expression. "Odd. Now get moving you big ho."

"Stop calling me a ho!" Emma leaned over against the onslaught of aggressive tapping that accompanied the end of Red's tirade. "Ow! And I didn't mean to upset Regina." Emma felt like a petulant teenager as she stumbled into her jeans and shout-whispered at Red. "Why are we calling each other stupid names anyway?" She furiously buttoned up her shirt which confused her momentarily. "Where did these clothes come from? I was wearing a dress."

"Regina brought them by." That was the kicker. Red's voice was so sad, and just that information was enough to make Emma slump over in defeat.

It was a cloudy, shitty day, and it began to rain just as Emma stumbled out of Granny's. She let the drops sting her face as her feet dragged her all the way to Regina's house.

It all was so confusing. Emma really didn't want anybody but Regina. And why hadn't Regina stopped her from going off? Her boots were soaked and her favourite brown leather jacket was sopping wet by the time Emma knocked on Regina's door.

Nobody answered but the door wasn't locked. It took ages to get out of her boots and in the end, Emma had to take off her socks and roll up her jeans just to walk into the house without leaving footprints. She found Regina quickly enough.

"It's ok." Were the first words out of Regina's mouth. She didn't sound like she meant it and she was wearing a really wrinkled looking shirt and some jeans Emma had never seen before. Sitting sedately at her kitchen table, sipping tea, Regina stared forlornly past Emma.

It took Emma a full minute to realize that the blue shirt was her own.

"How can it possibly be ok?" The backs of Emma's eyelids stung with tears. She swiped her hand across her nose. Then she sneezed.

Slapping a hand on the table, Regina got to her feet. "I refuse," She said, "to take care of you just because you're obviously frozen and likely going to get sick." Emma sneezed again and stared shamefully at her bare feet. Her toes looked really pale, almost bluish. Regina threw up her hands, defeated, and walked quickly upstairs.

Twenty minutes later, Emma was in a tub of hot water while Regina pretended not to look at her. Though she was obviously distracted by Emma's attempts at flirtation, Regina seemed to be deep in thought.

Then Emma blurted out, "I'm pretty sure I didn't have sex with them." The bottom of the tub squeaked against Emma's knees as she turned onto her side and stared up at Regina. "I didn't feel as though I had had actual sex." She added. Their relationship was beginning to feel like a stumbling, fumbling grab at any shred of stability. All of the months spent trying to get inside that shell Regina kept around her; all those weeks spent exchanging energies on the deepest levels. There had to be more than just _hurting_ one another.

"None of my business. I'm the one who told you to…" Regina stared at her hands now.

"Play the field. Ugh. I never actually agreed with your oh-so-paternalistic instruction." The water sloshed around Emma. She couldn't get warm and she couldn't get comfortable. "I swear. I don't know what happened. I'm really sorry though. I mean really, really, really sorry."

The words were hesitant, the tone nearly "You hurt my feelings." Regina surprised them both by saying. "I shouldn't have been so…jealous, I suppose…"

"Well no kidding!" Covering her face with a warm cloth, Emma fought the urge to slap herself silly. "Wait a second…" the cloth came off. "You were jealous…that's new. Isn't it?"

Throwing Emma a towel, Regina got to her feet. "Let's not harp on it. We'll discuss it later. You probably need to rest." She was smiling a little now, which Emma noted with a jolt of warmth all over.

Resting, on the verge of a cold it seemed, just led to more restlessness and worrying. Emma could hear Regina puttering around the kitchen while she warmed up in bed.

Finally, Emma got up, threw on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, and padded downstairs to find Regina cranking the heat on the house yet again. "I'm better now." Emma hugged her bare arms and smiled sadly at the woman she really wanted to hug.

"Well there's soup on the stove." Still wearing the blue shirt and jeans, Regina had followed the cuffs up and was barefoot. "I started a fire." She added needlessly. The fire was obvious, roaring in the living room. When Emma returned with a bowl of chicken and lentil soup, Regina sat close to her on the couch, so Emma ate fast.

Regina turned when Emma finished scarfing down her food, and held out her arms. Emma was relieved at having not actually set them back quite as far she had thought. She reached and circled Regina waist. Regina came willingly, settling against Emma's side. "Play the field, huh?" Emma snickered, nuzzling the wisps of hair above Regina's temple.

"Hush…spoiling the moment." Regina cupped her face and planted a brief but lovely kiss at the corner of Emma's mouth. "We should talk. I should explain some things."

"Later…" Emma pressed her lips warmly to Regina's neck. Then…

Before they could kiss and makeup any further, the phone interrupted.

"It's Rumpelstiltskin," were the first words out of Snow's mouth. Regina had put the phone on speaker mode and set it carefully on the couch between them. "He stole your magic. He sent two fairies to seduce you," Snow coughed at that part but then she said, "which didn't work because you apparently kept moaning about how much you loved Regina and how you wanted to do things…ummmm…to her, and anyhow, he still managed to bottle what you two have…"

Emma felt her face burn. She'd said 'love'. She'd said that she loved Regina and now everyone had heard it except for Regina herself—until now, from Snow White's lips no less.

"He'll use what he stole to escape." Feeling fairy confused, Emma tried to imagine what else might come of the exchange.

"Well obviously." Regina cleared her throat, looking dazed. "But then what? And what do we do about it, if anything?"

"He wants a meeting, on his own terms. I suppose this is his way of forcing us." Snow could be heard shuffling papers as she spoke.

"Are you at work? Go home, Snow." Some things never changed, though Regina's bossiness was now rooted in actual caring. Snow had been tied to the Mayor's desk for days. Her squeaking protest was interrupted by Emma next.

"We're not meeting that psychopath. And listen to Regina. Go home. Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow, ok?" Emma earned another kiss, this time on her ear, which tickled and made her snicker.

"You two! What are you doing?" Snow gasped. "I'm hanging up! I'm hanging up! Now!"

"Go home!" Emma repeated. "Zombie attacks are a total excuse to take a day off work." But Snow had hung up.

An awesome make-out session on the couch would have followed, had both women not been made uneasy by Rumpel's latest bout of stupidity.

"I'm going to check the doors." Emma decided, just as Regina started lifting her shirt.

Hands frozen mid-way, Regina sighed and nodded, then pulled Emma's shirt back down. "You do that." She thought it over. "I'll phone a few people, see if I can keep tabs on our escaped lunatic."

The day was a write-off, after Regina failed to track Rumpel down, and they both decided to stay in and wait for news. They spent an hour locking and reinforcing all doors and windows. Regina called Henry and instructed James and Snow on securing their own home with the boy in it. Then, really stupidly, they watched the scariest ghost movie they could find, and ended up huddling together and giggling in bed when they should have been paying attention to their surroundings. Emma felt uneasy when they finally settled in and decided to sleep. She chalked her unease up to their previous problems and resolved to discuss their relationship in the morning.

In the meantime…

…the creature that Rumpel had sent after them, was most grateful that neither woman had thought to check inside any of the closets.


	12. Chapter 12

The first clue that something was really, really off, came in Regina's dreams. She dreamt that she and Emma were shopping for groceries. They were in separate aisles and Regina couldn't understand why the items around them kept shifting. Emma had stopped making sound but was gesturing wildly for Regina to take one of the plastic bottles of water that appeared in front of her.

It took far too long for Regina to wake and even longer to figure out that Emma was gone. The smell of the darkly cloaked, pale creature that had crawled up beside their bed, yanked Emma away and dragged her into the hallway, lingered in the air. When Regina shot up, bleary-eyed and confused, her first thought was that the groceries had all gone off.

"No!" Regina's protest was choked by her own fear. Before she knew it, her feet were hitting the floor, and she had skidded into the hallway to find a rat-eyed creature with dark slick hair and grey-black skin, hovering over Emma, sucking streams of blue electric light into the slits where his mouth should have been.

There was a roar—Regina's voice tapering into a high-pitched shattering scream as magic overtook her—and an explosion of flame from her hands.

What Emma heard at that moment, was a sound like lions, hyenas, screaming monkeys and who the hell knew what else, all cascading together in some enraged mash-up. Emma couldn't breath, couldn't move, could only listen as Regina poured every ounce of energy into sound and electric fire.

The demon was thrown up and over Emma, against a wall. Stepping closer, Regina concentrated her rage, her frustration. The stream of fire that erupted from her hands incinerated the creature while Emma herself rolled over onto her side, gasping for breath. She wheezed and started to pound her own chest in a panic, until Regina knelt behind her and wrapped her up in a hug. There was still some magic left between them and it glowed and surrounded both women and then Emma was breathing regularly against Regina's chest.

Soon, however, their magic dissipated and then disappeared altogether.

"Where are you going?" Emma whispered the words as Regina shifted away from her and got up to leave.

"My office. I'll be right back." Regina had a familiar look on her face, as though she already knew what was about to happen.

"Wait, but…" Getting shakily to her feet, Emma followed. Her feet slipped on the floor as she struggled to regain balance.

She found Regina writing down something with a black sharpie on a white card and moved aside when she stormed out with only the words, "Stay here," in a tight, furious voice.

"Hell no!" Emma could hear Regina stomping at the entranceway as she walked out. Walked out and into the rain wearing nothing but a t-shirt and yoga pants.

The rain was pouring in sheets over the windy street. Emma arrived just in time to see Regina call Rumpelstiltskin.

"But he's hiding…" Emma's voice was drowned out by a crash of thunder.

Of course Rumpel wasn't hiding, not anymore. He was waiting for the two of them to arrive. What he didn't expect, was to win his fight so quickly.

"Here. Now leave us the hell alone." Regina shoved the white card into his hand and stepped back.

Moving closer, Emma could see the word or name 'Bae' written on the card. She swiped wet hair from her eyes and cradled her bare arms. Her tank top was white and already soaked through, but no one even looked at her.

Rumpelstilstin just stared at the card, then caressed it, then said,

"You found my son?" as though Regina might be one of his favorite people in the whole world after all. "When you were in hiding, you were working to find my child?"

"Not for your benefit exactly." Regina rolled her eyes. Rumpel looked like he wanted to hug her.

"What?" Emma shouted.

But Regina and Rumpel just stared in silence at one another, as though some silent truce had been made, before he turned and slowly walked away. He was a speck in the distance when he flung a hand in the air and threw blue electricity and purple smoke in an arc toward Regina.

Moments later, a glass egg, containing all of the magic in all of Storybrooke, was cradled in Regina's arms.

"Do with it what you will dearies!" Rumpelstiltskin laughed and he could be heard booming as if from the sky itself, but his voice was shaky and choked.

While Regina stared in dumbfounded silence at the vessel in her arms, Emma let her have it…

"Lies, Regina, there are so many fucking lies with you! You were in Philadelphia to find Gold's son? Jesus!" Emma bent at the waist and shouted into the street. "Fucking fuck! Dammit Regina!"

"I gave him what he wanted. He'll leave us alone now." Regina brushed wet hair from her eyes and knelt beside Emma in the rain and the blowing leaves and the dirt. They were both soaked to the bone. "Emma…Emma…" She forced blue eyes to meet her own. "That was my final card. My last card to hold over Rumpelstiltskin, to keep him from controlling me. That's it. He's won. And I don't care. I only care about you…You and Henry." She shook her head, defeated by the understanding that it might not matter. "We took away all the magic. All of it. Now he's just a man, looking for his son, and we can just be…" She smiled and tried not to cry, "We can just be a family. I want that."

"Be a family? What can we be if you won't tell me everything?" Another crash of thunder blocked Emma's words. The object in Regina's hand glowed brightly.

"I'll tell you. Ok? I'll tell you everything. But honestly, that was…it was an accident, even finding Bae. I had a few leads, nothing more. I chose Philadelphia based on rumors, a handful of clues. I hired someone and they found him quickly. He told me to keep his information close, to give it over to his father only when it seemed like the right time…" Regina sighed and sat back, despite the water and the mud and the soaked leaves that made their way onto her bared lower back. She sat and held all the magic of their old land in her hands and contemplated her future.

"How is now the right time for those two? You gave away your last card to save me, but what about Rumpel's son? Is this the right thing for him?" Emma clutched her stomach which suddenly hurt.

"I don't know." Regina admitted, slumping over her knees and cradling herself.

That was how Snow found them—sitting in the rain, close together but a universe apart. Later, they would ask her how she knew to come over and she would call it 'mother's intuition' and shout at them both for not calling, signaling yet another weird shift in her relationship with Regina.

They were driven to Snow's apartment since none wanted to deal with the aftermath of the attack at Regina's. Emma studiously avoided looking at Regina as the other soaked and shivering woman held tightly to the magical egg. Snow continued to bark orders at Emma and Regina as they entered the house.

"Get warm, then get some sleep." Snow paused, watching Emma's tense shuffling and avoidance of Regina's presence. Henry had already been put to bed in a bed set up for him downstairs, thereby leaving one room for Emma and Regina to share.

"I'm going to sleep. Now." Emma muttered before taking the stairs three at a time. She heard mumbling conversation behind her, even as she dove into bed in her old room and burrowed beneath the covers. After some time had passed, she also heard a shower turn on. It could go either way at this point, she thought tiredly. She could ice Regina out, go home, let the distance between them grow. It would be so easy to take off again. She just needed some sleep. After that, who gave a shit. Not her. No way.

Another option presented itself when Regina knocked timidly at the door. She waited for the grumbled order to let herself in and then did just that.

"You're ridiculous." Another growl and angry flinging of sheets encouraged Regina to slip into bed—still far enough from Emma. "Where's the damned ball of magic?"

"With Snow." Regina replied after a moment's hesitation. She was wearing an old grey Tallahassee Eagles t-shirt that Emma had once stolen. "I couldn't trust myself, I need some time away from magic…"

"Why? Is magic like crack or what?" Emma laughed and turned her back to Regina, ignoring the sad sigh she had evoked.

"I don't think that I've ever tried…_crack_, I mean I have no idea…" Regina sighed again. "Nevermind. May I get some sleep now? You can continue to berate me in the morning…"

They were quiet for all of ten minutes before Emma harrumphed and turned back over.

"Tell me about Philadelphia, because I'm not going to sleep anyway." The covers were up to Emma's nose so Regina couldn't see how easy it was for Emma to let go of her anger.

"What else do you want to know?" Regina's eyes were closed still.

"Why were you sleeping with all of those women?"

"Are you fueling your anger toward me with this irrelevant question?" Now Regina's eyes had opened. She scowled in the darkness.

"Yes." Emma decided.

"Ok, fine." Regina resolved then to spill all the beans—to tell Emma every damn thing that she had ever done and felt and thought. It was a strange relief even as it delayed sleep further. "I just felt so alone which wasn't entirely uncomfortable. To have no attachments, no responsibilities. I missed Henry but I was numb."

Burrowing deeper in the bed, Regina resisted the urge to sigh contentedly. She blinked when sleep nearly crept up on her. "I don't know how to explain it. Feeling as though I had lost everything just sent me to this incredibly shut down place. I could just float through my days. With nobody to worry about me. I could have been hit by a car and none of you would have found out or cared." She fought a yawn and gestured against Emma's protests. "I'm saying that that's how I felt, not that I was right." She was warming, finally. And Emma was moving slightly closer. "I don't know where to start with all of this."

Neither did Emma, not really. "Just keep going." She decided.

"I had already found Bae, so my scheming was through. There was nothing left to control or collect or concern myself with. I found you, by the way, Miss Bounty Hunter extraordinaire, before you ever found me." This made Regina chuckle and Emma growl. "I slept with all of those women—and a small number of men—because it gave me a sense of control. I also just enjoyed the mere fact that I could seek pleasure, anonymously, without worrying about consequences. I stopped, however…" Regina shifted an inch closer to Emma, feeling her tummy flip at the thought of those first beginnings.

"Stopped…why did you stop?" Emma wasn't really jealous anymore, but she was enjoying the sound of Regina's voice. And knowing more about her was calming. She couldn't help but let go of her anger toward Regina. It was annoying but Emma had to resign herself to being a pretty forgiving person. Her hands were at the back of her head as they talked and her eyes were on the ceiling. She didn't move away when Regina laid a tentative hand on her stomach.

Regina was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "I stopped when women who looked exactly like _you_ began to show up. Don't ask me…" for just a moment, she looked like the Regina of days long past. Her eyes flashed in the darkness. Then she continued on another tangent. "Then_ you_ came into town and just sort of made yourself at home. Which was nice. _Really_ nice. I never had that, not really…that sense of stability and family and just domestic happiness. I was willing to let the complications go, just to rest in that moment. Then the dreams began. My mother. Rumpelstiltskin…."

"Do you still dream about her?" Emma angled herself so she could read as well as hear Regina's response.

"Yes." Regina nodded after a moment's hesitation.

"What do you dream? Is she dangerous? Is she around here somewhere?" Now Emma was genuinely curious. Cora sounded like a murderous lunatic from Regina's descriptions.

"She's in another realm. I don't think she can come here. I don't know how dangerous she is, or if she is even the same person she used to be."

"What, like she's another entity posing as your mother?" Emma asked.

"I think…maybe…I'm not sure, of course, nor do I wish to find out." Then Regina's tone was thoughtful. "Have you really forgiven me? For everything else?" She felt the need to push. "There was a time when I would have killed you and never cared."

Emma rolled her eyes, frowned. "What do you want me to say about that?" Emma reached with the hand closest to Regina and touched lightly, at the curve of Regina's hip. "Do you _want _me to hate you? I mean I don't even think I'm wired that way." She withdrew again and turned over. As she fell asleep, she felt Regina's fingertips against her arm, tentative and brief.

When Emma got up the next morning, the other side of the bed was empty. Thinking Regina must be downstairs already, Emma took her time showering and changing before going down to join everybody. It wasn't until she was on the stairs that it occurred to her to wonder if Regina was even around.

She had to pause and ask herself if she really cared. Her anger was gone but her frustration triggered old patterns of thought. If people left her first, it would simply fulfill her own resignation with being abandoned…or something like that…Emma couldn't quite remember the words of the one and only shrink she ever encountered. What she did know, all at once, upon arriving downstairs and spotting Regina and Henry deep in quiet discussion at the kitchen table, was that those days were becoming a shadow of the past.

"Why are you crying?" Henry asked, confusion scrunching his forehead.

"No reason." Emma sniffled. "Umm…I think I just get emotional when demons try to suck my chi or whatever…"

Regina frowned and lifted her coffee cup to her lips.

"So no more magic, huh?" Henry still looked confused. Emma hadn't moved from where she stood, but was staring at him and Regina like she really might just keep crying.

"No sweetheart. We'll have to do things the old…umm…new fashioned way. I suppose." Regina laughed again and shook her head. "This is a strange world."

"No more magic wars, that's one thing." Emma finally joined them at the table, tentatively sitting across from Henry and just to the side of Regina.

"No more screaming envelopes whenever the Mayor receives a piece of mail." Snow called down from the top of the stairs.

"Damn Harry Potter books…" Regina muttered.

"Hehehe…" Henry giggled to himself, having sent many of those 'howlers' himself.

Just after Snow, James and Henry left for school and work, Emma sidled up to Regina.

"Dinner." Emma blurted out, after staring down Regina's shirt instead of meeting her eyes. "Can we continue our discussion over dinner?"

"Yes." Regina replied curtly but she seemed pleased. Then she looked apprehensive. "What might we cover, do you suppose?"

"I'll make an agenda." Emma frowned though she was joking. "We just…I just…need to keep talking before we go any further."

"Any further than what?" Regina leaned in and whispered, her lips brushing Emma's ear. "I've already had you every way I wanted, how much further do we have to go?" She pulled back briefly, her eyes serious. "That was it, Emma. I have no more secrets and no more magic."

"No?" Emma searched the lips and eyes that had spelled out so many lies for her on so many occasions. "Where did Snow hide the orb?"

"I have no idea." Regina sounded truthful. Time would tell.

Emma stood her ground though her frown disappeared. "If you're lying about anything else…Regina, I'm telling you…You have no idea what I'm capable of."

It took a minute for Regina to succumb to snorting laughter.

Their eyes met and Emma could read the apprehension on Regina's features.

"I know this doesn't fix everything, but I don't care." She said the words even as she stepped closer and pressed her lips to Emma's.


	13. Chapter 13

…It seemed to be many months later, but Emma couldn't be sure. She and Regina were living together in domestic bliss. She knew that much. She remembered months of kissing and talking and sharing meals and sharing the most comfortable bed…

Still, life in Storybrooke needed a bit more excitement. Something was drawing Emma toward the city where she and Regina had shared their first moments together.

"We need a vacation." Emma kept saying. For some odd reason, the thought didn't occur to her to actually invite _Regina_ on that vacation.

"Life in Storybrooke is boring?" Ruby's lilting question was rhetorical. She agreed with Emma. Still, at least Emma had a hot girlfriend to keep her entertained. Ruby kept talking about how attractive Regina was—she usually stopped short of talking about how great she was in bed.

"Yes, I mean at times. Regina can't do any more healing spells. She can't make things levitate or blow up. Though…" Emma pursed her lips and slid her empty mug around on the table in front of her until Granny noticed and came over with a fresh cup of cocoa. This was her fourth cup. It was a lot of hot chocolate.

"What were you going to say?" Ruby leaned forward, as though Emma might impart a great secret. Her eyes flitted down to the creamy, chocolate mess in Emma's mug and she grimaced.

Leaning as well, Emma shook her head and whispered, "Stop making 'ew' faces at my cocoa. I like sugar. And _anyway_. So the other day, I caught Regina and Henry using a chemistry set in the driveway. They blew up three plastic bottles with various substances in each and then listed the time it took for each to explode. I ended up drenched in soda after getting too close to one."

"Funny." Slumping back again, Ruby laughed. "But still boring. Does Regina still have that apartment in the city?"

"Yup. She just never let it go." Emma nodded. "Wanna stay there with me? Can you take some time away from work?" She was unprepared for the reaction she received, but took Ruby's joyful scream as a 'yes'.

Initially, Regina was petulant at the idea of what she kept calling 'separate vacations'.

"I have time to spend with you and all you want to do is party with your promiscuous friends." Were her first words. Unfortunately, they were uttered over dinner with Henry at the table. Emma slammed down her fork.

"What's promiscuous? And who is promiscuous?" Henry asked carefully. "And don't fight. I hate it when you two fight."

Regina's mouth fell open. "Henry you can't tell us…" She shook her head. For a moment, Emma was confused. When did they ever fight in front of Henry?

"Promiscuous is a word that your mother uses when she's revealing her true age." Emma interrupted her own thoughts. "And when she's being judgemental and unnecessarily jealous and oops…" Regina was on her feet and out of the room by this point.

Emma placed a hand on Henry's head briefly. "We're ok. We're just figuring a few things out. Don't worry ok?"

"She hates it when her food gets cold." Henry sighed melodramatically. "Hurry back, all right?"

Taking the stairs two at a time, Emma slid around the corner and walked quickly through the hallway to Regina's—and her—bedroom.

"Ok…so the age joke wasn't a good comeback." Were her first words.

"Is that your idea of an apology?" Regina stood at the window, arms crossed, watching as Emma leapt upon the bed.

"Actually, yes, I am sorry for that part. As for you calling Ruby names…you're overreacting. But I get it. Until now we've just been happy and in love and totally blissed out with one another. Now we're deeper into the relationship. And neither of us has ever been here with anyone."

"Oh." Regina moved closer and stared at her hands. They shook slightly. "I suppose you're right."

"I'll only be gone a week. With your blessing." Emma was firm on that last point. She patted a spot next to her.

"I apologize for not trusting you with your hot waitress friend—my very own ex-lover—during a week in close quarters in the city." Regina's hand slid through Emma's hair soothingly.

That was odd. The wording of it. Regina sounded weird and who said 'ex-lover' all old-timey like that? Emma shook her head again.

"Ok. And you really don't have to worry about us. You're the only old lady with wolf-like senses whose bones I wanna jump." Emma grinned at Regina's muttered objections to being called 'old' yet again. "Let's go downstairs. Our son is worried about your stew becoming icy and inedible."

"We were talking about Ruby, not Granny." Regina reminded her. "And I don't have wolf-like senses. I have magical abilities. Including eyes in the back of my head and a sixth sense if my lover is cheating on me…"

Then it hit Emma.

Something was _seriously_ off between them.

"Regina…" She squeezed her thigh hard. "Babe…when did we move in together?"

But Regina's face could no longer be seen. Her head had just about spun around on itself and now Emma was staring at the back of it…

And screaming…

"Emma!"

Now someone was screaming at her.

"Emma!"

Hands were shaking her shoulders but she couldn't wake up. All she could do was scream and scream until she started choking and coughing. Someone was throwing water on her.

It was Snow White. She had just tossed a glass of icy water in her daughter's face. Emma could see her but she couldn't speak to her or move to get out of the way. The water was helping though…

"What the hell is happening?" Snow's voice droned at first but then sharpened and screeched in the air around Emma.

"A really advanced glamour. Something designed to convince us that an entire invented reality is the life we're living." Regina's voice was slow and deep and really odd sounding. "Someone is delving into Emma's subconscious and twisting her thoughts then feeding them back to her."

"Who?" Snow's voice sounded better now. Emma's heart began to pound less quickly.

"I think…" Regina paused, turning to Snow with a grimace. "I think it might be…"

"Spit it out goddammit." Snow was growling now. Emma wanted her to stop. She reminded Emma of a wolf or something.

"Cora…" The name died on Regina's tongue.


	14. Chapter 14

It had been early, maybe 4:30am or so, when Snow and Regina managed to wake Emma. What had seemed like a deep sleep saw Emma in some kind of trance. Snow said that her eyes had opened a few times but she had stared off into space.

After they woke her, Emma talked her mother into resting and was left alone with Regina. Neither woman seemed to want to sleep now.

"How did this happen?" Emma moved her head to the side to watch Regina's face. She wanted to see the other woman's expression, to make sure she knew how she was really feeling. It wasn't always easy with Regina—to read her emotions or match her words with them.

"I went home. " Her hand traced over Emma's shoulders, squeezing and kneading as she moved. "I slept in a guest room at the house, alone."

"How was that?" This was something Emma vaguely remembered. They had argued about it, because Emma wanted to go also.

"Fine, it was fine…" Regina hesitated.

"'Gina?"

"It…" Now her hand snuck beneath Emma's shirt, rested on her stomach.

"It was fine. I had a few bad dreams…"

Emma frowned. "And then what happened to me?"

"You apparently came up here for a nap. Snow said you were already in an odd mood, distant, like you were someplace else. You went to sleep mid-afternoon and didn't awake when she knocked. She called me and I came." There were dark circles beneath Regina's eyes and she stifled a yawn.

"You can rest. I can keep an eye on you." Emma brushed hair back from Regina's face and kissed her lightly.

She ended up watching Regina through a fitful sleep during which she scowled the entire time. When she woke again she immediately rolled into Emma's arms.

"I need you." Regina whispered. She seemed grumpy and Emma wondered just what she had dreamt about.

A soft knock on the door stopped them both. Extracting her hand from Emma's crotch like it was on fire, Regina sat up again as Snow entered the room carrying a tray of toast and eggs and bacon. Enough for all three of them, so Regina had to contain herself while Snow perched on a chair at the end of the bed. Much to Emma's annoyance, Regina actually got out of bed and sat at the window, as far from them as she could get.

"We're all coming to Philadelphia with you both." Snow ate a piece of bacon daintily as she spoke. It was sort of funny.

"What? No. No. I'm going alone." The blood had rushed from Regina's face.

"Hmmm…" Snow's eyes were like fire. "Let's agree to disagree while you think it over, Regina."

Emma and Regina exchanged a startled glance in the face of Snow's slightly menacing demeanor. When breakfast was over, Snow quietly took away their plates and smiled the same frightening smile as she left the room.

"Huh. Weird." Regina slid back onto the bed, staying above the covers this time.

It was an oddly relaxed day otherwise. Emma couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to laze about in bed, reading books and getting served tea and coffee and by evening, a generous glass of wine.

"Ok, now I'm officially bored." Emma yawned, glancing with interest at the wine Regina had brought. "I need a shower and I need to put on real clothes." Regina hummed approvingly. Emma's voice had more energy and her eyes were clearer. "Too bad you can't join me." She couldn't help but add.

"Full house." Regina's smile was wry. "Besides, Henry needs help with some math homework. I'll be downstairs when you want to join us all." Her smile broadened when she added, "I'll leave the glass."

It had to be the calm before the storm, Emma thought. Unless…perhaps they could just skip the Philly trip? Sell Regina's place off, make a clean break. But then her thoughts roamed and she wondered back to Jefferson's death. His suicide had seemed to unlock something in Regina's dreams. The problem, Emma realized, was that she didn't have a fucking clue about magic and how it worked. Rumpel had supposedly taken the magic from the land and contained it, but there were still sparks between Regina and Emma after the deed was done. And the glamor or whatever Regina called it—how had that even occurred without magic? Was it really Cora herself who contained the rest of it?

She pulled clean yoga pants and a tank top on, but then zipped a hoodie overtop that, and then she walked carefully downstairs. Her feet were bare. It was the first thing Regina looked at—really sort of longingly—while having an apparent argument with James about the old property rights of their land and how they applied to Storybrooke.

Since that was the most agonizingly boring conversation Emma had ever stumbled upon, she sat next to Henry at his end of the kitchen table while James and Regina continued to have it out in front of the sink. Emma noted with interest that the bottle of wine was gone and Regina's cheeks were flushed. Their eyes met and Emma smiled sweetly at the other woman.

Henry's homework actually took up a lot of time and it was Emma's turn to help. But by the time they had finished, it was half an hour past his usual bedtime, so she walked him upstairs while he chattered on about the relationship between one of his favorite comic books and the use of spheres in engineering.

"He's so super smart." Emma plunked herself next to Regina when she came back downstairs and stared in awe at the woman who had obviously given Henry some odd pedagogical process linking comics with school work.

Regina shrugged. "Yes, well, he takes after his mothers." This inspired a chuckle. "So darling, can I tell you…" She looked down. "I don't think you should come. You're vulnerable. That creature that attacked you, and now the glamour—I'm not putting you in danger."

"Oh, well then. That's a zinger." Emma didn't miss a beat. "I don't give a damn about the dangers. I think we all have to go with you, to remind you that you have attachments and people who care about you and a _reason_ to fight whatever it is that attacked me. To the place where Cora first started haunting you." Emma cleared her throat and shrugged, not at all nervous about meeting Cora. Or Cora's ghost. Or whatever the fuck…right.

Not nervous at all…

They both slept badly that night, each waking every hour to check on the other. By sunrise, they had given up and chose to go downstairs to make coffee and sit in the kitchen, immersed in their own heavy thoughts.

From Regina's perspective, the last few days seemed almost to have unraveled all of the good things that had happened in Storybrooke since her return.

In her own mind, Regina had to return to her motivations for leaving Storybrooke in the first place. She had to return to that familiar loneliness which had so deeply embedded itself in her psyche. To prepare herself for Cora or for whatever—whomever—she had to face, she had to access darker places within herself. Months spent making up for all that she'd done could not wipe blood from her hands. She had to believe—what else could she believe—that her past was coming now to destroy her. First the demon, then the glamour, what would come next?

As she watched the family interact—Henry and Emma shared the last of the corn flakes while Snow and James cut fruit and tried to force everyone to drink some green smoothy concoction—Regina thought about her own family and grew quieter and quieter. Henry's bloodline was not her own, and in their old land, that kind of thing had mattered a great deal. Regina's place in his life seemed so precarious when she first left for Philadelphia and while it wasn't precarious now, she felt distance between them as well as between herself and Emma.

She went for a long walk, passing countless people who should still hate her but for many reasons had chosen to forgive the curse. Lunch was a solitary affair, had with a paper in hand and an over-eager ex-girlfriend refilling her mug with too much coffee.

"You have to trust them. Everything will be all right." Red squeezed her shoulder and wished her luck.

"I should really go alone." Regina tried to be firm but found herself whispering in Snow's ear while Emma and the others were upstairs after dinner. She and Snow were tidying up. It was yet another mundane, domestic experience that Regina never thought she'd have with the woman whose life she had tried to so hard to end.

"Regina, no. We've had this conversation." Snow's tone was be pleading as she threw down the sponge she'd been using.

"At least let me face the place of my first exile alone. You and the rest of your family can stay someplace nearby." Some knowing look exchanged between them and then Snow nodded. Emma tromped downstairs quickly after. She shot a suspicious look Snow's way and then ushered Regina up to bed.

"I should go home!" Regina's words were met with a firmer hand on her back.

"No, you should stay with me. We'll pack in the morning." Emma insisted. She said 'no' in the same tone as her mother. It was weird, for just a moment.

"I'll see you both early." Snow called upstairs as they ascended. "Regina you had better not try to sneak away!"

"…fine…goddammit…" Regina swore under her breath the whole way. She had a change of clothes still, and could wear an old pair of Emma's yoga pants to bed. Her shirt was long sleeved and if she threw a jacket on over everything she could sneak away and drive off without worrying about her outfit. There was still money in the loft and she could use it to buy new things—if that was even necessary.

As she settled in bed next to Emma, she began to feel that familiar old sensation—of being trapped or held in by her circumstances. She watched Emma fall almost instantly to sleep and willed herself to do the same.

Sleep claimed her almost by surprise. When Regina opened her eyes again, she could see Emma's back turned to her. For some reason it made her feel lonely. For a moment Regina only wanted to wake Emma up.

Instead she snuck out of bed.

It wasn't hard to dress in the darkness. Emma snorted quietly in her sleep, convincing Regina that she really was out. She stole one of Emma's hoodies. It wasn't fashionable, but it smelled like the woman she would be leaving behind.

By the time she made her way downstairs, she was already crying.

So it was with a sense of relief as well as slight panic, when she met Henry at the foot of the stairs.

"Mom?" He gazed sleepily at her. "I had a bad dream. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine sweetheart." With that, her plans were thwarted. "You should be in bed…"

Henry gave her one of those knowing looks that had started when he got hold of the book of fairytales. "Yeah…" He started, crossing his arms. "Then what will you…" He blinked and stopped himself. "I need you to sleep next to me. I'm having awful dreams tonite…"

"Henry, you're too old for…" Regina sighed. "Ok. Come on then."

So at sunrise, Emma padded downstairs in an oversized sweater and plaid pajama bottoms. She made her way to Henry's bed and upon finding her girlfriend pinned down by their son's splayed form, got into bed at the very edge of the chaos. She met Regina's brief muttering with quiet laughter and they both sat up to rearrange the kid so that his head wasn't half off one side of the bed.

"It worked." Emma said happily. "He set an alarm for when he thought you might get up."

"How could he have known the right time?" Regina sighed. "Never mind."

"Regina?" Emma whispered after a few minutes had passed. "We're a team. Ok? I'm sticking with you." Her arm curved over Regina's waist, rested on Henry's shoulder, and then within a few minutes she yawned and kissed the sudden wetness on Regina's cheeks.

After some time had passed, Regina said,

"I'm sorry, I felt far away from you and…" her words were muffled by Emma's mouth and a hard, wet, uneven kiss.

"I will always find you Regina. I will always mph!"

"Shut up, don't say that." Regina hissed and smooshed her fingers against Emma's mouth. "That joke has been overdone."

"Yeah? Ok." Emma grinned.

Their eyes met in the darkness.

"I love you." Regina whispered. Then she turned over and let Emma cover her and Henry.

Regina surprised herself by being the last in the household to finally get up. Henry and Emma were packing as quietly as they could while Snow and James made breakfast. No one said much when Regina walked quickly upstairs to grab a shower and change into her own clothes. But when she came back down, Henry greeted her with a hug and a grin. "We tried to be quiet, but it's sort of time to go."

They drove back to Regina's place first, where Emma forced her to pack a bag and stop pretending that she was walking straight to her demise.

Then Henry rode with his mothers while James and Snow took their own vehicle. For a while, Regina could pretend that they were just like any other family on a road trip. She and Emma took turns driving. They sang songs and played stupid car games and everyone managed to sleep at some point.

When they were an hour from the city, Regina fell asleep in the backseat while Henry and Emma ate burgers and chatted up front.

"What's that?"

Regina heard Henry's voice from a distance. She felt the car slowing and heard Emma flick the signal to pull them off to the side of the highway.

"Gina? Babe, wake up…"

But Regina was already up, staring in disbelief at the blue aura surrounding the city, glowing in the same colors as her and Emma's magic.


	15. Chapter 15

**ORGANIZED LIGHTENING. **

**Note on head canon: I can't deal with Bae as Neal as being Henry's father so I don't even bother in this story. Anyway, the story is winding down…eventually. Now that the show has explored their shared use of magic a little bit more, I'm happy to let this one run its course and maybe turn into a sequel along the way somewhere. Thanks for reading and for your comments!**

**Chapter 15.**

The rest was chaos, at least for a time. There was, in the moments before she bolted, some look Regina gave that felt like goodbye. It made sense to Emma, when she thought about it later, that after all they'd been through, this time between her and Regina should end where they began. In darkness and in hiding and too far apart to help one another.

It started when their caravan stopped on the side of the highway. When Emma and Henry walked to meet with Snow and James, to compare strategies for dealing with what appeared to be an enormous magical outbreak, Regina promptly shifted herself into the driver's seat of her car, and roared away from the group.

"No!" Emma swore and shouted and tried to no avail, to convince James to give her the keys so she could start some high-speed pursuit after a woman whose destination was already known.

Moments later, another car pulled up behind them. It was Gold. Rumpelstiltskin. Whatever. And the car was made of solid gold. Upon seeing it, Emma instantly wished she'd brought her gun.

"I'll ride with him." She growled. "You follow us. Henry, go with your grandparents."

Driving into the city was like driving into a completely other world. There were silver ghosts of animals and people, flitting from car to car, house to house, and elves and gnomes (Emma wasn't sure if there was a difference) leaping to catch each one. Enormous, glowing green snakes, wove through sidewalks and slithered up buildings. People screamed and ran and created an assortment of odd magical after-effects—one woman's rage at another who had toppled her, turned air around her to black ash. As Rumpel slowed about a mile from Regina's home, a group of women with purple and blue and pink hair passed by, singing who some long, continuous note in Emma's direction. Emma was mesmerized. She had to be pulled back into the car as their song intensified and their hair flew about like waves in the sea…and their eyes turned to black ink and they showed tiny sharp teeth. Emma recognized one from the small bar on the outskirts of Storybrooke and blushed brightly. Then, following the fairies closely behind, was a woman with green tinged skin and long, dark green hair. She wore a flimsy emerald dress and raised a glass in their direction.

"Is that…?" Emma yelped when Rumpel had to yank her in yet again.

"Yes, it is. Now stay put, Ms. Swan." He looked warily at a crowd of pale, skinny young men, all with jet-black hair and large black eyes. They seemed to know him and looked at once.

"Why are you here?" Emma's question broke Gold's reverie. The leather of the gold Chevy was sparkly silver and kind of rubbed off onto Emma's jacket. She felt odd and heavy, worried about Regina but also nervous about whatever Rumpelstiltskin was up to. His eyes kept flickering over toward her, straying from the road. From time to time, he had to steer the car around a streak of green or blue magic.

"I live with my son now, he and I were passing through when we saw what was beginning." He paused. "I figured, this morning, that when things intensified, Regina might return to her previous hiding spot. It was, after all, where all of the magic gravitated toward, combining with other forms. The magical creatures that roam other realms want to expand their horizons. Wouldn't you?"

"I don't…know…" Emma had no idea how to answer such a question. Creatures. Ghosts. She turned and spotted a small dragon, breathing fire at a hairy dude who looked like Bigfoot. All around Bigfoot were scurrying little elf like people, throwing things in his way and blocking any damage the dragon might have made.

"Some of the magic of this world, Ms. Swan, is greedy magic. It is angry, thieving, lying magic. The darkest magic. I don't want to bore you with dreary politics, the rest is complicated. There is also older magic and all of it, combined with what we brought from the Enchanted Forest, has created a wonderful sort of chaos." He smiled, but the result was less than reassuring. "That thing in there isn't Cora, but a replica of Cora. You have to go and get Regina out before she falls too deeply into the illusion."

Emma scrunched her nose, scratched her arm through her brown leather jacket—her third favorite these days—and droned, "Why would Cora be back?" as another fairy threw dust that coiled into a silver spring and then splashed like water on the car. She felt her arm being shook and was pulled back from the odd display.

"Cora isn't Cora, but a simulation. Of Regina's weaknesses and neediness meant to draw her out of Storybrooke. Meant to draw the magic out of Storybrooke. There is magic here as well. Magic all around. Nothing much one can do about it, but with so many untrained, greedy people…" He giggled. "Who can say?"

For a second, Emma thought back to that Ghostbusters movie—was it one or two, she couldn't remember—when the guys had to rescue a baby from the edge of an apartment building. Regina's building looked like a smaller version of that particular weird scene, only without any ghostly nannies thank the fucking gods. It took Emma an entire hour to stumble through the wreckage that was in front of Regina's loft when they did arrive in front of it. There were magical stairs that led around and around and around before depositing a person into the lobby where a revolving door promptly spit them back out again. It took Rumpel doing a levitation spell (after laughing for half an hour) to get her up the side of the building, but then the windows turned to giant gelatinous hands that bounced her up and down. It was ridiculous. She didn't get inside until three small people, sort of like elves but more like the protectors of the Bigfoot guy, scurried up the building and grasped her elbows, pushing her through the gel.

When she fell on the other side, she immediately heard the sounds of Regina's screams. Her heart leapt into her throat and she ran as fast as she could, smashing through the already damaged and unhinged front door of the loft.

What appeared to Regina to be Cora, appeared to Emma to be a dragon. Maleficent. Emma shouted in shock as a wave of flame roared toward her. Regina only saw the Cora-creature throwing heaps of purple orbs into the air, each one with a different affect. One moment, Emma was suspended in mid-air, the next she was flung against the ceiling. Somewhere in the chaos, Snow and Rumpel joined, having been pulled up and inside by a more successful levitation spell. When Emma strained her head to the side, she could see Rumpel throwing a protective bubble around Snow and then blocking a jolt of blue that went from the dragon or Cora or whoever, and tried to latch around Emma's ankle.

That was when Regina broke out of her trance long enough to realize that the person she loved was glued to the ceiling.

Regina couldn't reach her, couldn't touch her to trigger any remaining magic between them so she shouted at Snow,

"I need whatever it was that was contained in that egg!"

From the corner of her eye, Emma saw Rumpelstiltskin speaking in quiet tones with her mother. It took a moment of hesitation, but Snow nodded. She threw the object she'd been hiding in her purse, up to the ceiling, toward Emma…

…who promptly let it fall, bursting open.

Regina looked up, then flicked her wrist, and Emma was lowered again. Her eyes shining with tears, Regina held out a hand. Their fingertips touched for just a second before the magic took them both over.

"_Mother_…" The anguish in Regina's voice stirred the creature that hovered behind her. It began to spin and spin, uttering words in some language only Regina could understand.

"It isn't her. It's ok to let go now." Emma's words echoed in her mind, but Regina somehow heard them.

Regina tried, turning around with a strangled cry. She turned her back on the regret and guilt and anguish of her ghostly mother, and the magic roared its frustration. Rumpel started to shout as a portal opened in the fireplace:

"Regina, you know what to do. You did it before but this isn't your mother. It isn't even her, not this time. She's gone, now let whatever they've taken of her go…for good!"

Emma couldn't quite focus on what happened next, but she heard rather than saw, Regina spin quickly and push the Cora-creature through the portal.

There was silence then, the portal squelching shut after a quick second of flashing light. Snow walked quietly forward and put an arm around Regina, who said by way of reply to the show of affection…

"I think I'd like some lunch now." She sounded tired. And defeated.

"Ok, sure thing." Snow nodded and opened the other arm for her daughter to collapse against.

They levitated down to the sidewalk. When Henry saw his mothers, he waved with a huge grin, but continued his conversation with whatever elfin creature had captured his attention. Regina was silent the entire time and barely even registered Emma or Henry's presence. Her clothes were torn and covered in dust, so Emma held a towel aloft while she changed in the backseat of their car, into an old tank top and too-tight jeans from Emma's bag. It was cute, seeing her in Emma's clothes, but it didn't solve the confused frustration Emma still held onto. Whatever magic had coursed between them, it was still in _her_ head. And it was as though she could see the world through its warped lens. There was irrational, thrumming anger there. Emma ignored Rumpelstiltskin's curious and knowing glances, rubbed her fingers on her temples and turned away.

Most of what had turned the city upside down, seemed to be dissipating. Thread-like strings of magic, made of blue and green energies, arced toward Emma and Regina's wrists in jagged lines. The Bigfoot creature walked by them just then, glanced their way, and was followed by a wolf spirit. They retreated into what looked to be a fold in the air. It was almost like a dream, but when Emma dug her nails into her wrist, the world did not change.

They piled into their cars after Snow quietly announced that they'd be leaving again, this time with Rumpel in tow so he could answer their questions. Emma drove with just Regina. They didn't speak.

Over an otherwise quiet lunch, Henry kept asking questions of Rumpel. "So there's magic all around us all the time? Older magic?" He glanced nervously at his mother as she methodically ate her banana pancakes and stared into space.

"And new. And old new. And new old. From many worlds at once." Rumpel gave a flourish of his wrist and giggled like a dork. Then he directed his thoughts to Regina, "The demons wanted you to feed them—to _mother_ them. But what you and Emma created defeated all of that. The egg was made up of all that you were avoiding. All of the power you wouldn't take. All of the magic _you were afraid of_…"

"The question that worries _me_, is whether or not Storybrooke is safe." Snow spoke in low tones, watching as the magical trickster contemplated which answer to give.

"Mostly," he giggled, "but you'll have to make yourselves invisible all over again…"

They left him behind at the diner, after he called his son to pick him up. Something flashed in his eyes when he looked at Regina and Emma—like he had a secret that pertained only to them. Which, of course—of course he would.

"Fucking guy." Emma muttered, slamming into her car again.

They drove for three hours before another rest stop, Emma and Regina's vehicle trailing behind the rest. As her fingers curled, cramping on the steering wheel, Emma wished they could just enjoy the trip somehow. Maybe stop somewhere to see the sights in New York or visit old haunts in Boston. Instead they drove steadily onward, their cars sped up by some silly little spell that Regina used to cloak them and steer them quickly at the same time.

"That's cheating." Emma muttered as she passed a speed trap without so much as a siren.

When she looked at Regina then, all curled up in the passenger seat wearing her clothes, looking absurdly beautiful despite her obvious sadness, she was reminded of those weeks spent in Philadelphia together. She remembered how she'd started noticing little things about Regina. Like how her hair, when it was a longer, was wavy and softer, or how her eyes could flash almost auburn in candlelight, or how she bit her lower lip when Emma kissed the back of her neck…

"Oh please, are you really thinking about all of _that_ at a time like this?" Regina's voice startled Emma and her hands shifted too quickly on the wheel. They were righted again in their lane by Regina's magic but the chuckle that followed was annoying.

"So now you're talking so I can ask you some questions, right?"

"What kinds of questions?" Regina pressed her forehead to the passenger side window. "I won't read your mind too often, I promise. I mean it's probably just sex stuff that'll make it easier." She looked briefly to the left and nodded at the flush that covered Emma's chest.

"No, just…I mean now what?" Emma asked quietly. "Are you going to run away again, hole up and wallow? The floors probably need redoing back in your old place. You could start there." Her shoulders slumped. Anger and disappointment etched its way across her features.

If the magic had been hard to take, the emotional blowout that followed was harder but at least it didn't last long. Regina shouted, "Everything is so bloody easy for you, isn't it Emma?" Worn out from what she'd already been through, she started to cry, hands covering her eyes and pressing hard against her forehead. "You come after me, with so many promises to save me from myself, you fall in love with me—so easily—none of it was hard for you! Every part of it was hard for me. It was hard to trust you, to open up to you and now, to do magic with you…"

"None of this has been easy for me. I just don't reveal a whole lot." Emma frowned again and the feeling helped pull her down, away from Regina's heat and anger. She straightened her shoulders and added, "We're a team, Regina, you, me, this whole weird little family. Snow already told you that and I'm reiterating the point. A_ team_. You don't run into dangerous situations without us. And from the looks of it, you're definitely stuck with me from now on, so…"

"So we're a team." Regina said softly. "Ok."

They stopped outside of Boston, at yet another diner. Emma was beginning to wonder about their collective eating habits, so she ordered a green salad to go with her cheese burger. Henry was asleep, so Regina climbed in beside him, coaxed him with soup, and then they emerged as Emma watched.

"You two ok?" Snow interrupted Emma's quiet watching—mother and son, alone again…

"Yeah. I don't know. I think so." Emma was noncommittal. "I'll stay at hers tonite if you can take our kid?"

"Of course."

Emma watched as her mother scratched her nose, looking past her.

"You do that when you're worried about something."

"I'm worried about Storybrooke." Snow shrugged. "We have no idea what's out there, magic or otherwise. We don't even really know who we are. I mean we're from at least three different worlds, from what Regina has told me. And the line between magic and non-magic beings isn't clear cut anymore."

"Maybe it never was." Regina's voice surprised them. Snow looked pleased though, patting a place next to her in the booth.

By the time they arrived at the magical border to Storybrooke, Emma could see the moon streaking through the sky like some bizarre comet. "uhhh…"

"Don't worry. She'll sort herself out." Regina looked again. "Oh, good, that was just an illusion." She nodded and said, "otherwise we'd really have issues."

"When will it stop?" Emma asked. Driving in the darkness, with little signs of magic all around them, reminded her of the day when she first found out that the Curse was real. She'd never been so proud of herself, for saving Henry—for slaying a fucking dragon even! But the thought that Regina's actions had actually led to Henry's near brush with death…well that had only recently begun to sink in. It was fear as much as anything. Fear at the new/old/new…_whatever_…world that that begun around them. Regina had to have her fucking back. They had to work together. Otherwise…

"Hey…" A hand strayed onto Emma's thigh, squeezing briefly. There was a flash of that green ring again. Regina's old alliances. Her old coven. Not like the new one. Not at all dedicated to Storybrooke's protection. To Emma and Henry's protection…

"Are we ok?" Emma's voice was timid.

"Yes." Thankfully the answer came back in a firmer tone. Regina twirled the ring on her finger. "I found this old thing in my jacket this morning. I'll tell you about it sometime." She slipped it off and threw it out the car window, just like that. It was a ridiculous gesture made all the more absurd by the fact that she didn't bother _opening_ the window first. The ring slipped through and bounced on the side of the highway.

"Ummm…does it have…"

"Powers? No. No one will take it and use it for evil." Regina laughed. "I was just making room. Don't worry so much darling."

"Sure." Emma sighed. "Could you stop reading my mind though and answering questions before I ask them?"

There was a chuckle by way of reply. But when Emma turned and raised an eyebrow, Regina nodded again.


End file.
